mactronix :
Ok lets go from the top again. Please don't get upset this is a technical forum and you need to get things right
No, I'm not incorrect. You are thinking in black and white and taking approximate statements to be exact mathematical statements.
To say that you 100% can't compare Nvidia shaders to ATI shaders is not reasonable.
Comparison:
HD 4850 = 800 shaders (really more like 200 some odd shaders running roughly 3 threads), 256 bit bandwidth, running at 625 MHz
GTX 260 = 216 shaders, 448 bit bandwidth, running at 576 MHz
HD 4890 =800 shaders (really more like 200 some odd shaders running multiple threads), 256 bit bandwidth, but at 850 MHz
GTX 285 = 240 shaders, 512-bit, 648 MHz
GTX 480 = 480 shaders, 384-bit, 700 MHz
HD 6970 = 1536 shaders (really more like 500 some odd shaders running roughly 3 threads), 256 bit bandwidth, clocked at 880 MHz
Basically you can look at pretty much any Nvidia card and its competing ATI counterpart in the same price segment and see that the power really isn't that much different.
Again, this is an approximation of one technology to another it is not an exact mathematical comparison of physical units.
Do not take it LITERALLY.