Future proof or save money?

[Cheeky Bugger]

What would be better, to buy Ryzen 7 1700 and have some level of future proof because of those 8 cores or it would be a better idea to go with the Ryzen 5 2600 which is a best bang for the buck right now by a long shot?

[Origami Cactus]

If you can wait until January (CES 2019), there AMD will probably announce the ryzen 3000 series, so even if you dont want those, the 2000 and 1000 series will probably be even more discounted after that.

If you arent a content creator and need a new cpu now, in my eyes the 2600 is more future proof because of the much higher clock speeds.

[Sauron]

Future proof doesn't exist, particularly with the current state of the market. Buy the best (aka the cheapest part that will do the job) for what you need right now, you can always upgrade in the future (especially on AM4).

[Monkeybiz0985]

I would advise waiting a month. Even though the previous poster is correct about the constant changing of the market, with a new launch so close, if you aren’t in dire need, i’d Wait a month and see what the new product announcement does to current pricing.

[Billy Pilgrim]

1 hour ago, Cheeky Bugger said:

What would be better, to buy Ryzen 7 1700 and have some level of future proof because of those 8 cores or it would be a better idea to go with the Ryzen 5 2600 which is a best bang for the buck right now by a long shot?

You better be a bit more careful next time you use the PC building f-word. 

 

/s

Anyway, being a bit more serious, future-proofing needs to be taken carefully. One thing you really don't want to be doing is saying is "I will be getting lower performance parts that are more future proof so I can have more performance for longer and one day this computer will become as powerful as I want."  while pushing back that "one day" further and further into the future.

 

Get what CPU you think is best now and the AM4 socket will be supported until 2020 so, if you have enough extra money, you can sell it and buy a new one.

[Inversion]

Honestly, if the leaks about the Ryzen 3000 series are even remotely accurate then you wanna wait a month or so. The rumours are that essentially the current R5s will be the new R3s (with that sort of pricing) and the current R7s will be the new R5s (again with current pricing). And even if you decide that stuff isn't worth it then you'll probably get a 2000 series Ryzen chip at an even bigger discount. This is one of those rare occasions where waiting may well be worth it.