But then again, bart xt is more or less 25% faster clocked than a 5850, which makes up for most of the difference. I doubt the 6970 will have significantly faster clocks because of its size(900mhz max). Basically everything has to come from core improvements and added components.
agreed, the clockspeed difference makes up alot of the perf difference.

as a whole package its pretty good, but what about when both are overclocked (max typical on stock cooling), that could really close in the gap between them.

i think whats best is the potential this has for mobile chips and fusion products.
when mm2 matter on fusion, this can let them pack in more with good yields.
and for mobile stuff they seem to have a better perf per watt