HEXiT :
mate look at my build...
i just added a gtx 970 last week to my i7 920 setup and it still scored decently on 3d mark.
http://www.3dmark.com/3dm/7235208
i7 920 @3.3ghz, ddr3 1333, cas8.
im quite happy to put it up against a recent i5 setup with the same card. it may not win but its close enough to say its in the same race.
my build is nearly 6 years old now mate and it still rocks max settings on every game ive thrown at it.
so i wouldnt worry to much about buying a lower end i5.
fact is dx12 is gonna make cpu performance even less important as it will offload a lot of work that the cpu normally does to the gpu where it can be done more efficiently. so when it drops even old machines will get a performance bump.
I'm surprised you put in a 970 despite the scandal nVidia tried to pull with the 3.5GB memory thing. What doesn't use 4GB now even at 1080p. GTA5 requires bare minimum of 3.3GB for max@1080p and specs say 4GB recommended.
Anyway, I'm glad to see a CPU is not as important these days but maxwell at the moment is useless since nothing is using dx12 and nothing will use it for at least another year. All the games I want come out 1st and 2nd quarter of 2016 and there's no way they'd have even support for dx12 that late in development. Chances are 2 years will pass before I feel the true need for an upgrade from the 290X.
I heard from recent sites talking about the R9 200 series getting a price drop when Fiji rolls out since it's a rebranding. If prices go up instead of down I'd channel my CPU money into a 980ti and call it a year (or 3) til 4K becomes more reasonable on projectors. I grew up on CPUs being the heart of everything, but I do admit it is finally sinking in that an i5 now then a CPU/Mobo upgrade at the end of this gen is also extremely reasonable.
My only fear is that old part go up in price not down and I may have to contend with upgrades like x99 being expensive still in 4-5 years since they are out of production and the only new CPUs/Mobos out for new gen stuff would be as expensive as x99 is now.
I have an 8 year old laptop I just retired so I know how great it is to keep an old computer alive, but it's also a big gamble since my laptop needs two 1GB 4850M's which would cost $800 (lol) plus a CPU upgrade (QX9300 $250). It's a joke for prices on old parts. So I'm starting from scratch but this time I'm contending with
1) Godly computer is $1260
2) !@# computer is $900
3) How much is that $300 worth to me in the long run? If it means working 3 more weeks and waiting to order then I'd just drop the extra money for whatever I think I need to stay in the game. A CPU/Mobo later might cost more than it does now and keeping in mind x99 is still 2.5 years old and still costs a lot. I don't wanna get stuck in this gen because the leap into the next next gen is as expensive as it is now, but at least I have no bills now lol
I am going to have to think this over long and hard while I save up anyway and see what money is worth saving and what might be worth the extra expenditure. Only I can answer that I guess but at least I now know I can smoke games for as little as $850 in case I'm pinched for dough in a few weeks when I choose to splurge