I have continued my research on graphics cards for a dedicated Maya computer and I have found the following to be issues...

These are the
quadros-nVidia
gtx-nVidia
firepro-ATI/AMD
radeon-ATI/AMD

quadros and firepros are certified and recommended by maya
while gtx and radeon are consumer and are for gaming which requires speed

I also have been reading the concept of purpose built computers.

Because I am a newbie, it may not be necessary for me to purchase a high end workstation to learn and develop modelling, animating and Lighting & Rendering, Dynamics & Effects, Texturing skills.

So in designing my first Maya dedicated computer I have no problems with experiencing first hand the issues I may face with a particular graphics cards...

I am not yet worried about batch rendering or animating but I am interested in covering modelling, Lighting & Rendering, Dynamics & Effects and Texturing...

I haven't decided but I have narrowed the choice of my first graphics card to the quadro fx 580 or the ati firepro v4800. Both are certified by Maya 2012 and both are inexpensive. I just want to use the computer to learn and when I feel the need to a more powerful workstation, I plan to pull the hard drive and sell the computer with the graphics card.

If anyone disputes these findings I would love to know your thoughts and why your reasoning behind your conclusions....

And if anyone agrees and wants to further elaborate that would be appreciated as well...