Recommended hardware configuration for ArcGIS

[ChristinaSkelton]

I recently received a grant to build a dialect atlas using ArcGIS, and I need to buy a computer.  I found the minimum hardware requirements to run ArcGIS (http://resources.arcgis.com/en/help/system-requirements/10.2/index.html#//015100000002000000), but I'm wondering what sort of requirements I should look at in order to run ArcGIS really well for at least the next three years. 

One question I was specifically interested in was whether it would make sense for me to get a really good video card, and whether ArcGIS could use the GPU for processing.  Would I see any benefit from having a high end video card like a geforce GTX 970 over a more modest card like a GTX 750?

I'm not sure what size data sets I'd be using, but at most I'd be mapping an area the size of the eastern Mediterranean.

[GordonKnight]

I don't think spending money, grant money, on hardware in excess of what you need to get the job done would be a valid expense.

I think any computer you get at the local supplier that meets the minimum requirements will last for the three years you need it.  Hard drive storage if you need large data sets, memory above the minimum will help, but I don't think that upgraded GPU is worth the expense.