Oh, Lordy do we have a benchmark war going or what? Benchmarks are a rough guide as to how a card will perform not concrete evidence.
Even if benchmarks really mattered, in every single one of the many reviews I've read on both top-o-the line cards from ATI and nVidia are running neck and neck in almost every benchmark. Neither card is a runaway winner, simple as that.
Has anyone here bought both cards and tested them side by side? If someone has, I'd recommend listening to them.
Does the nVidia look nice to you? Then buy it. Does the ATI appeal to you more? Then buy it. Both companies offer such close performance in each price bracket it's a moot point to argue that one is way better than the other.
As for the pixel shader 2.0/3.0 arguement I ask myself one question - Am I playing a shooter to stop and look at the trees to see if I can notice
that much of a difference in the leaves? Nope. I'm there to slaughter everything I can as fast as I can so leaves that look just a bit prettier aren't that big of a deal to me.
A little less benchmarksturbation and a little more real life would help those wondering what to get