Warrior versus a ship of the line

How did HMS Warrior compare with a top-rate ship of the line in cost and capability?

Probably roughly the same cost at the time of construction, with Warrior carrying fewer but heavier guns; many contemporary ships of the line also had steam engines.

HMS Warrior probably cost roughly as much as a top-rate ship of the line built at the same time. The older type carried more guns, while Warrior carried fewer, heavier, more powerful weapons. Steam machinery was common to the comparison because many contemporary ships of the line also had engines. Wooden hulls still presented a different protection problem, including the danger of a shell reaching a boiler. Gun counts and rating labels therefore leave out much of the difference in fighting capability.