Hey Tod - my i7 4770 is still rocking pretty good, also with 16gb., so not sure where I would go from where we are right now.
From what little I can see of the newer cpus, I don`t see such a huge advantage between them & ours unless you are prepared to spend a LOT of money.
Mind you, it really is just down to new Mobo/cpu, new memory & possibly a new power supply, although I doubt that last one.
Have you considered overclocking yours if you havent already & just getting Herself a nice new box or laptop? I would guess that her needs are different from yours & it could work out better AND cheaper.
If it ain`t broke, don`t fix it.