Yeah, There is usually no point in going for the top end model just for a 200 MHz bump for 10K more. That 10K is better spent on some other component. 1700X will be the sweet spot for most users in the higher end bracket. As far as I can see, there is no additional advantage with the 1800X except the clock. I personally will be going for the 1800X only if its around 35~36k. Otherwise, I will go for 1700X. After my Athlon 64 purchase in 2004, this will be my AMD CPU purchase after 13 years.
With regards to AMD vs Intel, I think people are unnecessarily blaming Intel for the stagnation in CPU market when they should be blaming AMD. Its not Intel's fault that AMD could not keep up in last 10 years and offered no competition in most of the segments.. Frankly, there is nothing outstanding about RYZEN either. Its not like they left the competition in the dust. What they are still talking about is again coming close to their competition after so many years and offering a better value proposition for next few months or so till Intel comes out with something new.
As for why the stagnation, I said it before. Its not in Intel's long term best interests to leave their only competitor in the dust and blaze ahead. It would be a much worse situation for them to achieve complete monopoly than to face competition. The anti-monopoly laws could force Intel to split up or have other drastic consequences on their business. This is not about being lazy, they would have no choice but to slow down.