Intel CPU-dispensing vending machine game spotted in Japan — one user got a Core i7-8700 for $3

There are capsule toy machines in Japan that dispense Intel CPUs. As tweeted by @LaurieWired, one user who goes by the handle Sawara-San acquired an Intel Core i7-8700 CPU after inserting 500 Yen (around $3.25) and twisting the customary knob. The 'prize' CPU did appear to have some flaws, however.

The capsule toy vending machine is an example of a gacha or gasha machine, which are incredibly popular in Japan and other far-eastern countries (though you can also find them elsewhere). Normally, these machines contain small plastic toys, which are dispensed after the user inserts some cash and turns a knob. Machines typically have a theme like Hello Kitty or toy cars, so you know what kind of prize you'll receive but not the exact item.

In this case, the gacha machine is filled with Intel CPUs. It's not clear what other types of CPUs might be present, but presumably these could date back a decade or more. Or perhaps they're all parts that are not fully functional?

The CPU gacha machine seems to be located in front of or inside a computer store called 1’s PC, which appears to sell a wide range of new and used PC parts as well as cameras, media, software, and so on. The gacha machine may be a cool way to provide a bit of fun for store visitors, perhaps also serving as a way to get rid of old or broken CPUs.

In the Japanese language video, you can see that the gacha 'player' appears to strike lucky. Clearly happy with their luck, getting an Intel Core i7-8700 for a little over $3, Sawara-San scuttles home to install and test the processor. (The YouTuber appears to like buying old 'junk' PC parts.)

We reviewed the Intel Core i7-8700 back in 2018 and found it performed almost as well as the unlocked 'K' edition in real-world tests. Moreover, in 2024, its 6C/12T configuration, 4.7 GHz boost clock, and Windows 11 compatibility mean it's still a respectable performer.

Five cores and ten threads? No iGPU?

Every silver lining has a cloud, and Sawara-San’s luck in the gacha-powered silicon lottery indicates they weren't quite as lucky as originally thought. After putting together a test system built around the i7-8700, the CPU booted into the BIOS fine but seemed to have some other issues.

There was some display corruption initially (after switching display inputs), and the Windows installation process failed. After some additional troubleshooting, Sawara-San decided that perhaps something was wrong with one or more of the CPU cores. As you can see in the Windows Task Manager screenshot, the gacha-dispensed CPU apparently worked with five cores and ten threads.

Despite issues with one of the cores (or perhaps something else), the CPU still seemed to be able to run Windows, survive system information tool probing, and complete benchmarks like Cinebench R15 and R23.

It's worth noting that this 5-core/10-thread sample achieved 992cb in Cinebench R15 nT tests, but our fully working sample scored a significantly better 1,420cb. That's also with a different motherboard and other components, not to mention half a decade later, so it's possible various Windows security patches just slowed the chip down a bit. Perfect scaling of our original score suggests a 5-core variant should be able to do around 1,183cb.

Still, a used Core i7-8700 from the same 1’s PC store in Japan is listed at 13,800 Yen ($90) with a three-month warranty, and Sawara-San appears to be happy with their 5C/10T gacha prize. We can only wonder what other CPUs might be lurking within the machine.