Should I wait for Haswell?

So I haven't bought my processor yet (I'm aiming for the i7-3770K).
Should I wait for the Haswell generation to come out before buying, or not?
Will Ivy Bridge prices go down?

I would not wait. First you have to wait for Haswell, then wait for Haswell desktop chips, then wait for Macs to support the desktop chips, and then wait for the right motherboards and confirmed builds. Whew, this could be a year or so.

As with any new technology, whether it's the next model of a DSLR or a computer, the question about whether you buy now or wait for the Next Big Thing is best answered by considering:

• Do you need something now? If so get something now. You'll be able to use it while you're waiting for the next big thing.
  Whether you get something as grunty as you can now, or just something to just tide you over until the next upgrade is up to you.
• How long before the new devices are useable? As d2id mentions, there are a few steps to take along that path, even after Intel makes the hardware available.
• Is there some "must have" feature of the new technology that will make a big difference to you and mean that you'd want to update as soon as it was available?
  For most people and uses, with Haswell I suspect the answer will be "no" (at least in comparison to Ivy Bridge systems).

Ok, thanks!

If I were to wait until June, would Ivy Bridge prices go down because of Haswell?
Because I'm not willing to wait for Haswell support, but waiting until June to save money is fine with me!

There's no guarantees, and the price difference may be negligible ($20-40, if at all) for quite awhile, even after the Haswell processors hit the market. So, as the two previous posters mentioned, I'd either wait because there's something you want out of the Haswell processor or go for the Ivy Bridge now. I don't think you'd save any money by waiting.

Ok, so I'll buy an Ivy Bridge then.
Thanks!

Yeah, the Ivy bridges are sick bro...
You wont regret it. Plus they're very hackintosh compatible.

Also, my understanding is the Haswell chips are focused mostly on lower power consumption, with less about performance upgrades. Not really a big deal in desktops.

Yeah, I got myself an i5-3570K!

No on waiting. I want to give as close as I am able a complete answer to this one, as I was once a new user at this uncertain-seeming crossroads. The short answer is think lack of support that could last many, many months; assuming you get a Haswell system running, think of time-consuming instabilities. Also, consider performance-per-dollar in Haswell vs Ivybridge/Z77.

Going by Intel's pricing conventions, I think those who think 4770K will come out at around/settle at around 3770K prices are most likely wrong, barring a big AMD price drop; e.g. to begin with Sandybridge 2600K frustratingly held its price (in the UK at any rate) when Ivybridge 3570K came out. If I was Intel, I would nudge the price of 3770K up in July, not down, because 3770K will strongly hold its attraction to Hasswell-performance-envy people keen to upgrade their existing Sandybridge i3 CPU without having to shell out for a completely new motherboard socket/chipset; if Intel nudge up the price of the 3770K after Haswell's release, they make paying the price premium on the new 4770K tempting. Performance under Windows with an early production sample of 4770K apparently averaged out at a not particularly helpful (by 'helpful' I mean re any potential price reset on 3770K) 5 - 10% better than 3770K for the CPU part. In a few benchmarks the difference is huge, though, so you need to look at your specific usage patterns and see if Haswell offers you real-world upgrade advantages for an additional outlay that, rather than wait, might be better put toward an SSD drive or graphics card, instead. Graphics performance with the 4770K's HD 4600 graphics is apparently 10 - 50% faster than HD 4000, though still disappointing compared to AMD's integrated graphics.

I am not knocking Haswell (I am more interested in what new tweaks and minor new features a new motherboard chipset brings to the table, than I am particularly fixated on CPU benchmarks) but unless you are strongly attracted to some new/presumably as yet unsupported feature, I cannot, for now, see the attraction in playing the waiting game, unless you are attracted to the time commitments of being a tester Guinea pig. If you have money that you can afford to spend, my two cents would be enjoy making a new-ish Ivybridge build, right now, based on tried and tested tech that won't periodically have you pulling your hair out.