Intel D975XBX2 or nVidia 750i SLi Opinions

[sloaner]

Hello all,

Well, this is kinda a noob request. I am really getting interested in computers and learning more about how they work. with this in mind I would like to build my own system in a short while. In order to practice before I drop the money on some serious hardware I would like to use some of my current hardware to set up a pretty good system. I have upgraded some hardware over the years on my current computer and I also recently recieved some parts from a friend that upgraded. Currently I download a bunch of stuff, work on Photoshop, and do some online gaming. If you could let me know what you would suggest for a combination of the following to optimize a system that would be appreciated.

Mobo:
Intel D975XBX2 or
nVidia 750i SLi

Processor:
Intel core 2 duo E8400 or
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600

Video Card:
Asus 8600gt (x2) or
BFG GTX 260 maxcore

The OS that I have at the moment is Windows Vista Ultimate 64bit. I would stay with my current memory (8GB OCZ Gold DDR2 800mhz). Hard Drives are - 2x320GB in Raid for the OS and 2x1TB for storage. CPU cooling - Zalman CNPS9700NT. Case - Antec 900 Advanced.

I am also flirting with the idea of doing an overclock on one of the processors (again for practice).
Thank you for your thoughts and time on this matter. Looking forward to some info and doing some tinkering.

[Apoptosis]

Why not go another Intel chipset board that supports SLI? Plenty to pick from and the Intel chipset is hands down better than the NVIDIA 750i SLI.

[skier]

^

i would say go with the 8600GT's (personally would go with a GTS 250 or 5750) as the 260 no longer has any warranty support (BFG Tech folded recently-if i had a BFG card i would sell while it still works)

and i would go with the Q6600 for the lower bus speed (better overclockability on lower end boards)

[sloaner]

Thanks for the input. So, if I am understanding recommendations then I should go with the Intel motherboard, Q6600, and GTX 260 (due to sticking with the intel board). I am going to be upgrading shortly but I want to mess around with what I have at the moment to understand things a little better before I start messing with new equipment.