Camera Bodies, Systems & Prestige vs Value

OK, from a camera prestige perspective I will freely admit to being the lowest of the low. I just upgraded from the four year old and obsolete 450D / XSi to the one year old and obsolete 600D / T3i. Fortunately, I'm a cheap date of the easily pleased variety and am very happy with my upgrade.

But... how important is the body? And even the lenses? Or is it the system that is most important? And could overspending on the body and lenses - assuming a strictly limited budget - lead to a worse experience than a well rounded system?

Particularly for people who are upgrading from compacts, there is a temptation to say the camera you buy is more important than anything else. An experienced DSLR user might disagree and say the lenses are what matter, and bodies are transitory. But, for the sake of discussion - is that really true?

I just ran the numbers on my system, and used list prices for everything to be fair (I opportunistically acquired a good bit on good deals.) My T3i / 600D has a list price of $700 (rounding), and it only accounts for 14% of my currently in use system.

Another $1,915 or 39% of my total investment is on five lenses (listed in my profile), meaning I have far more invested in lenses than the body, with my 15-85 and Sigma 30 f/1.4 being my two "go-to" lenses.

My biggest investment is in ancillaries outside of the camera and lens. Photoshop Extended CS6 costs more than my camera or most expensive lens - but has extraordinary power. The new Canon Pro9000 printer and putting out 13 X 19 prints is turning my world upside down. The 430EX II lets me control the light instead of being controlled by it, particularly with the wireless remote built into the 600D. Add them up with packs and other ancillaries, and I have another $2,250 invested or 46% of the total, more than 3X the camera body itself.

Now, if I took that same total of $4,865 in my system, and paid list, I could have the superb quality and high prestige of a Canon 5D Mii body, and the excellent 24-105 f/4 L and 70-300 L IS lenses. Which would allow to hold my head high - but would I be better off?

Be fair - nothing but a camera and two lenses, versus a complete and complex system, that in my case, ends up with superb software integrating with a new large format printer that rocks. Which is best? I know a fair number of people in this forum have other photographic investments that more or less dwarf their Rebels, and I am curious...