[GulfCoastAquarian]

Electronic ballasts are extremely versatile. Some people even use those 4F32T8 ballasts to run 55w PC's, but they're a little weak. The WH5 can run two 55w PC's, but not to full power. I am using one WH5 for each 55w PC and it overdrives them to around 65 watts.
One WH5 connected to two F40T12 bulbs will drive them at around 50 watts a piece. My sister is using this setup on a 55g with CO2 and getting incredible growth with Gro-Lux tubes. She claims to be able to actually see the plants grow before her eyes, haha.

Anyway, the reason I go with the less-efficient F40 tubes is because Sylvania makes them in the Gro-Lux phophors. The light output in these bulbs that is beneficial to plants is stunning. Read more about this in the PUR and Lumens topic in this forum.

As for all your questions regarding what equivalent output each particular configuration has, this isn't documented very well. A few advanced reef hobbyists did measure lumens output for a 4x ODNO setup going into a F32T8 bulb and found it to be around 6000 lumens. That same bulb in a regular 1x configuration usually produces around 2000 lumens. Being that output is 3x standard, it is the equivalent of 3 x 32w = 96w.
I don't have these figures for F40 tubes, but expect it to be relatively similar.