Here is a resource to help you judge if a CPU is a reasonable value: The gaming CPU hierarchy chart groups CPUs with similar performance.
Intel & AMD Processor Hierarchy : Read more
Intel & AMD Processor Hierarchy : Read more
c'mon you got to throw some xeons on that list. they are becoming more popular chips and preform extremely well. my old x5677 setup can still preform within the 2nd tier.
Good to see my antique i7-3770k and my wife's i5-2500k (although not on the list, but close enough) still are contenders. The world moves on, but with those two overclocked to 4.5Ghz, I don't really have much call to upgrade until they die. Some of the best CPU money I have ever spent given the longevity. My pair of 7970's are getting a little old too but still hold their own just fine. Until 4k gaming becomes a norm, and this whole G-Sync/FreeSync thing gets cleared up, I see no serious need for a change. This has been an oddly quiet and somewhat refreshing period of time in PC building. The only major changes in the mainstream have been in the adoption, growth, and price per GB of SSDs.