EP2AGX260FF35C5G - Arria II GX FPGA 244K LE, 612 I/O | Intel
MPN: EP2AGX260FF35C5G β End of Life| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1850 | $1,850.00 |
| 10 | $1725 | $17,250.00 |
| 100 | $1595 | $159,500.00 |
| 500 | $1480 | $740,000.00 |
| 1,000 | $1395 | $1,395,000.00 |
EP2AGX260FF35C5G Overview
A Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) is a semiconductor integrated circuit that can be reconfigured by the customer after manufacturing to implement virtually any digital logic function. FPGAs sit in the programmable logic taxonomy: FPGA -> programmable logic -> logic IC -> digital IC -> integrated circuit -> semiconductor. Arria II GX FPGAs occupy the mid-density tier between Cyclone (low-cost) and Stratix (high-performance) families, integrating transceivers, DSP blocks, and on-chip memory for signal-processing and protocol-bridging designs.
Key features of the EP2AGX260FF35C5G include 8-input adaptive logic modules (ALMs), 312 hardware DSP blocks with up to 18x18-bit multipliers and accumulators, 244K logic elements, and 9.4 Mbits of internal RAM distributed across M20K blocks. Peripherals include PCI Express hard IP, external memory interfaces supporting DDR2/DDR3/QDRII/RLDRAM, and up to 16 embedded transceivers. The 1152-ball FCBGA package provides high pin density for high-bandwidth I/O.
The Arria II GX architecture pairs a logic fabric with 6.375 Gbps transceivers, 8-bit SERDES, and hard PCIe Gen1/Gen2 IP, allowing engineers to consolidate protocol bridging, video processing, and DSP functions on a single chip. The C5 speed grade delivers a balance of Fmax and timing margin for cost-driven commercial systems.
Typical applications include video broadcast infrastructure, wireless baseband processing, telecom backhaul, industrial imaging, and PCI Express adapter cards. This combination of high logic density, on-chip transceivers, and embedded DSP makes the EP2AGX260FF35C5G particularly suited for systems that previously required a discrete ASSP plus an FPGA.
When designing with this part, ensure your PCB accommodates 1 mm pitch BGA routing with proper microvia stack-ups, and validate thermal envelopes against the FCBGA junction-to-ambient resistance. Plan power-rail sequencing around the Arria II GX POR (power-on-reset) requirements and verify transceiver reference-clock jitter budgets before tape-out.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, same-family drop-in alternatives, and practical PCB/timing design notes not found in the manufacturer datasheet alone.
Drop-in alternatives for EP2AGX260FF35C5G β same package, pin-to-pin compatible. Different-package parts requiring PCB rework are excluded.
Variants in this series
Same-series models that are drop-in compatible with EP2AGX260FF35C5G (same form factor and footprint) β differing in Package, Speed Grade, Operating Temperature, Logic Elements, RoHS Status.
Quick Comparison Tool β Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP2AGX260FF35C5
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View Datasheet βEP2AGX260FF35C6G
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View Datasheet βEP2AGX260FF35C4G
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View Datasheet βEP2AGX260FF35C4N
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View Datasheet βEP2AGX260FF35I5G
β Drop-In β οΈ εζ°εΎ ιͺθ―β In Stock
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View Datasheet βEP2AGX260FF35C5G Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Series | Arria II GX |
| Family | Arria II GX (EP2AGX260) |
| Logic Elements | 244,188 |
| Embedded Memory (bits) | 12,038,144 |
| Maximum User I/O | 612 |
| Transceiver Data Rate | Up to 6.375 Gbps |
| Package | 1152-ball FCBGA (FF35) |
| Package Code | BBGA / HBGA |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount (BGA) |
| Speed Grade | C5 (mid-speed) |
| Temperature Grade | Commercial (0C to +85C) |
| Lead-Free / RoHS | RoHS compliant (G suffix) |
| Process Node | 40 nm |
EP2AGX260FF35C5G bbga / hbga Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EP2AGX260FF35C5G (bbga / hbga package). This digital IC includes GPIO, communication interfaces (UART, SPI, I2C), and power pins. Refer to the manufacturer datasheet for alternate pin functions and configuration options. Essential for embedded system design and PCB layout.
No detailed pinout data available for EP2AGX260FF35C5G.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EP2AGX260FF35C5G is suitable for 6 applications: Video Broadcast and Streaming Infrastructure, Wireless Baseband and Signal Processing, Telecom Backhaul and Protocol Bridging, Industrial Imaging and Machine Vision, PCI Express Adapter and Acceleration Cards, Test and Measurement Instrumentation.
Video Broadcast and Streaming Infrastructure
The EP2AGX260FF35C5G is well-suited to video broadcast encoder/decoder platforms where its 244K logic elements, on-chip DSP blocks, and up to 6.375 Gbps transceivers enable real-time processing of HD/3G-SDI, HDMI, and DisplayPort streams. The 612 user I/O support multiple parallel video data buses plus external memory interfaces (DDR2/DDR3/QDRII/RLDRAM) for frame buffers. Designers typically pair the FPGA with video codecs and PHY chips, using the FCBGA package to route high-speed serial links on standard PCBs with microvia stack-ups. The C5 speed grade gives commercial-temperature timing margin suitable for studio equipment.
Recommended
Wireless Baseband and Signal Processing
In wireless baseband and digital signal processing applications, the EP2AGX260FF35C5G provides 312 hardware DSP blocks capable of 18x18-bit multiply-accumulate operations at hundreds of MHz, well matched to LTE, WiMAX, and proprietary PHY implementations. The integrated 6.375 Gbps transceivers connect directly to RF front-end DACs/ADCs and CPRI/OBSAI links to baseband cards. With 12 Mbits of embedded memory, designers can hold substantial symbol-rate buffers on-chip, reducing external memory accesses. The 1152-ball FCBGA ball grid allows dense power and ground distribution for the high switching currents typical in baseband designs.
Recommended
Telecom Backhaul and Protocol Bridging
Telecom backhaul equipment leverages the EP2AGX260FF35C5G's hard PCI Express Gen1/Gen2 IP and multi-protocol transceivers to bridge between CPRI, OBSAI, Ethernet, and Serial RapidIO domains on a single chip. The 244K logic elements support full protocol stacks including MAC, framer, and OAM processing without external ASSPs. Designers value the 1152-ball FCBGA for its signal-integrity headroom on multi-gigabit links and its thermal performance in NEBS-compliant systems. The C5 commercial speed grade is sufficient for most telecom aggregation nodes operating in climate-controlled central offices.
Recommended
Industrial Imaging and Machine Vision
Industrial imaging systems, including machine-vision inspection, medical imaging, and surveillance analytics, use the EP2AGX260FF35C5G to perform real-time pixel processing, feature extraction, and pre-ML inference on multi-megapixel sensor streams. The 612 user I/O accept multiple Camera Link, CoaXPress, or MIPI CSI-2 channels through external PHY bridges, while the DSP blocks accelerate convolution and FFT operations used in image preprocessing. The on-chip M20K memory blocks provide low-latency line buffers. Industrial designs typically pair this FPGA with external DDR3 memory and high-speed ADCs.
Recommended
PCI Express Adapter and Acceleration Cards
The EP2AGX260FF35C5G is commonly used on PCI Express Gen2 x8 add-in cards for protocol acceleration, storage offload, and high-performance compute. The hard PCIe IP core supports endpoint and root-port configurations with up to 8 lanes at 5 Gbps, and the remaining transceivers expose additional high-speed links to companion chips or backplanes. With 12 Mbits of embedded memory, designers can buffer transaction-layer packets on-chip to reduce latency. The 1152-ball FCBGA accommodates the dense power-delivery network required for the multi-rail FPGA under peak PCIe traffic.
Recommended
Test and Measurement Instrumentation
Test and measurement equipment such as protocol analyzers, logic analyzers, and arbitrary waveform generators benefit from the EP2AGX260FF35C5G's combination of high logic density, abundant transceivers, and large embedded memory. Designers implement real-time triggering, deep trace buffers, and signal-conditioning DSP on-chip, while the transceiver banks drive multi-Gbps probe interfaces to the device under test. The 1152-ball FCBGA package supports the dense analog front-end layout typical of high-channel-count instruments, and the C5 commercial speed grade provides ample timing margin for deterministic capture.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP2AGX260FF35C5G β comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP2AGX260FF35C5 | EP2AGX260FF35C6G | EP2AGX260FF35C4G | EP2AGX260FF35C4N | EP2AGX260FF35I5G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) |
| Package | 1152-ball FCBGA (FF35) | 1152-ball FCBGA (FF35) - same | 1152-ball FCBGA (FF35) - same | 1152-ball FCBGA (FF35) - same | 1152-ball FCBGA (FF35) - same | 1152-ball FCBGA (FF35) - same |
| Logic Elements | 244,188 | 244,188 | 244,188 | 244,188 | 244,188 | 244,188 |
| Embedded Memory (bits) | 12,038,144 | 12,038,144 | 12,038,144 | 12,038,144 | 12,038,144 | 12,038,144 |
| Maximum User I/O | 612 | 612 | 612 | 612 | 612 | 612 |
| Speed Grade | C5 | C5 (same) | C6 (faster) | C4 (slower) | C4 (slower) | I5 (industrial temp) |
| Temperature Grade | Commercial (0C to +85C) | Commercial | Commercial | Commercial | Commercial | Industrial (-40C to +100C) |
| RoHS / Lead-Free | RoHS-compliant (G suffix) | Non-RoHS (Pb) | RoHS-compliant | RoHS-compliant | Lead-free (N suffix) | RoHS-compliant |
Key Differentiators
- Highest-density Arria II GX FF35 variant (vs EP2AGX260FF35C5 (non-RoHS))
- Balanced speed grade for cost-sensitive designs (vs EP2AGX260FF35C6G)
- Same-package compatibility with industrial variant (vs EP2AGX260FF35I5G)
Design Notes
The EP2AGX260FF35C5G uses a 1152-ball FCBGA package with 1.0 mm ball pitch. The PCB must use microvia (laser-drilled) stack-ups to escape the inner-row balls; conventional through-via designs will fail manufacturability. Plan at minimum a 6-layer stack-up with two high-speed signal layers between the FCBGA and DDR2/DDR3 memory, and provide continuous reference planes for all transceiver channels. Decoupling requires dozens of 0402/0201 capacitors placed within 1 mm of the BGA balls per the Arria II GX pin-out file.
Estimated: the Arria II GX 260K-LE device at full utilization with all transceivers active dissipates approximately 8-12 W. With the FCBGA package thermal resistance (theta_JA) of approximately 1.5 C/W when properly mounted with a thermal vias array and heatsink, junction temperature rise above ambient is 12-18 C. Designers should perform detailed thermal simulation using the device's thermal model file (.bga) and ensure the heatsink thermal interface material (TIM) covers the entire package lid. Insufficient cooling may degrade transceiver performance and trigger thermal throttling.
The 6.375 Gbps transceivers require strict impedance control (100 ohm differential, +/-10%) on all serial-link traces, with intra-pair skew below 1 ps and length matching within 0.127 mm. Use the Arria II GX transceiver user guide reference-stack-up and validate with 3D EM simulation before tape-out. Reference clock jitter must be below 1 ps RMS to meet the transceiver BER target of 10^-12. Series coupling capacitors on TX pairs should be 0.1 uF X7R placed within 2 mm of the FPGA TX pin.
The Arria II GX FF35 device requires multiple power rails (VCC, VCCPT, VCCA_PLL, VCCA_TX, VCCIO for each I/O bank). Power-on-reset (POR) sequencing per the device handbook is mandatory; out-of-order ramp can latch the device. Use a dedicated FPGA power controller (e.g., Intel EN63A0 or compatible) to manage sequencing and soft-start. Decoupling bulk capacitance must total at least 200 uF per major rail, distributed across the FCBGA footprint. Source: Arria II GX Device Handbook power-supply chapter.
Do not assume the FF35 package variant exposes all 16 transceivers; some speed grades or package options may gate transceiver count. Always consult the device handbook addendum for the specific EP2AGX260FF35C5 variant before locking the PCB. Also avoid mixing C-grade and I-grade speed-grade parts on the same board: their thermal and timing characteristics differ and Intel does not guarantee drop-in compatibility across temperature grades. Source: Arria II GX Device Handbook errata.
Compliance Information
RoHS-compliant per G suffix in MPN; not AEC-Q100 qualified (FPGAs in this family are not automotive-qualified); REACH compliance assumed per Intel policy but not specifically confirmed in provided data.
