With a bit of luck, you can get a usable CPU by putting €3 into a Japanese machine

In Germany you can get snacks, drinks and toys from vending machines. In other countries there are CPUs instead.

What’s the deal with the processors? In Japan there are numerous machines from which you can draw various things. In Germany there are similar machines mostly with snacks, drinks or toys, but in Japan the so-called gachapons contain, for example, merchandise from well-known franchises such as Pokémon or Dragon Ball.

What’s special: There are also machines in Japan that contain different CPUs. For example, a Japanese YouTuber says in a video from December 2022 that she pulled an Intel Core i7-8700 from 2017 out of such a gachapon for 500 yen. That’s the equivalent of around 3 euros.

As the YouTuber explains, she was limited to just one attempt when using the machine. Everyone is only allowed to try their luck once there (via YouTube).

The chance for a bargain

Is it worth it? Depends on how lucky you are. In all likelihood, there are no high-quality processors in this machine. Nevertheless, like the Japanese YouTuber, you can get a bargain with a bit of luck.

The Intel Core i7-8700 is from 2017, has 6 cores/12 threads and a clock speed of 3.2 to 4.6 GHz.

The i7-8700 is currently being traded on Ebay for just under 65 to 135 euros. Of course, the i7-8700 can’t keep up with modern CPUs, but for the price of 3 euros, it’s still an acceptable deal.

For the operator of such a CPU machine, this is probably a good way to get rid of outdated or no longer used processors. Of course, it’s not worth it for you to fly to Japan to get a CPU out of the machine.

However, if you are on vacation or on a business trip in Japan and happen to pass by such a gachapon, you can try your luck for just under 3 euros.

There are also gamers who receive a complete PC including an i7-8700 as a gift from their friends: Player receives a gaming PC as a gift from colleagues: “Bought a new PC because the old one overheated”