Good photography is the result of: skill + equipment + opportunity.

Simply put:

[joer]
Take 10 photos, keep the best one and throw the rest away. Repeat this often enough with some thoughtful analysis and eventually your skills will improve.

Don't forget the equipment. Ansel Adams with a brownie in a dark room would have poorer results than todays teenager with a smart phone (no offense to teenagers). Actually Ansel owes his success to his darkroom skills.
You don't need the latest and greatest but equipment matters. And that includes your post processing equipment.

Look for opportunities. Your backyard with never compete with the Grand Canyon no matter how skillful you are.

[Kitcar quoteI] have posted the following post reviously but I think it's worth a repeat. Re' your mentioning as to the "brownie, (years ago) I with many others use to attend an international photo competition in Birkenhead UK & to me the main target was looking for the photographer who year after year had a portrait accepted & hung (an achievement on it's own). The camera details attached to the print was "Kodak Box Brownie" plus the photographers name which had an ARPS after it. With that title he must have had available top camera gear but the camera & print must have been submitted as a challenge. With knowing the apperture, shutter speed, correct lighting & the sweet focusing point he produced a print I would have been more than proud to have achieved

No one on this forum ever said that equipment doesn't matter. In fact, many times the response to the OP is to purchase the best "whatever" he/she can afford, especially when discussing lenses, tripods, filters, etc. So, the common belief is that equipment does matter. But... it wouldn't matter to those who don't take the time to learn how to use the equipment and develop their skills. That's why I shoot 100+ even with the best golf clubs - for me golf equipment doesn't matter and never will.

Joer - if your post means Nikon are "behind the curve" in the mirrorless market I'm not sure I agree. They just took a different approach with a smaller sensor. The V1 and V2 cameras are actually little gems, with the V2 ironing out the design idiosyncracies that mysteriously, and annoyingly for buyers/users, appeared in the V1. Their lenses are first class and the FT1 mount adapter (best used wth AF-S lenses for complete lens functionality) brings a new dimension to telephoto photography because of the small camera size and the 2.75 crop factor of the sensor.

I changed from Nikon to Fuji for my "small camera" because of the design of the V1. You have to go into the menu system to change exposure mode - a bit fiddly. And I would add that I LOVE my Fuji X-E1 with its 18-55mm lens. Check it out if you're interested in mirrorless.

Joer, I'm not so sure any of what you say makes any sense at all. I'm sure half of those that read it will agree with you. Another half will not.
The problem with personnel philosophy, is that it is just that.
Just for starters, Ansel used an 8x10 negative, it has more resolution than a Phase One, let alone a phone.
If your into the Grand Canyon, by all means go. But you can certainly shoot a masterpiece in your backyard, just not of the GC.
Most photographers can take 10, throw 9 away for a lifetime. They will get better, but will never be any good.
Photoraphy, like any pursiut, it's more about talent than skill or practice.
Without talent, one can improve their skills and practice forever, and still not get any good, even if at the Grand Canyon ! SS

Just FYI the video card is only important if you are gaming, rendering 3D, or encoding video. Newer MOBOs have Nvidia or Radeon integrated graphics, one of those are cheaper and just fine.

Linked below is a FAQ from Adobe in regards to photoshop CS6 GPU usage. You will find that it only uses a GPU for a select few features and only 256MB at that. (512 needed for features to be enabled but only utilizes 256). That's big and bad CS6.

http://forums.adobe.com/thread/979969

Also go with a quad core CPU, you will get more bang for your buck vs. 2, 6, or 8.