EP2AGX45CU17C5N - Arria II GX FPGA, 45K LE, 156 I/O, 358-UBGA | Intel
MPN: EP2AGX45CU17C5N β Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $425 | $425.00 |
| 10 | $380 | $3,800.00 |
| 100 | $338 | $33,800.00 |
| 500 | $298 | $149,000.00 |
| 1,000 | $262 | $262,000.00 |
EP2AGX45CU17C5N Overview
An FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) is a semiconductor integrated circuit whose digital logic fabric, interconnect, and I/O cells can be reconfigured after manufacture through a hardware description language bitstream. Within the wider semiconductor taxonomy, an FPGA belongs to programmable logic devices (PLDs) which also include CPLDs and structured ASICs. FPGAs sit between fixed-function ASICs and software-defined microcontrollers: like ASICs they deliver hardware parallelism at clock rates above 200 MHz, and like microcontrollers their function can be updated at any time. Arria II GX parts specifically add 3.75 Gbps transceivers, putting them in the mid-density transceiving tier below Cyclone but above the basic Cyclone IV GX.
The key features of the EP2AGX45CU17C5N are 3.75 Gbps multi-gigabit transceivers with 8B/10B and PCIe hard IP, dedicated DSP blocks for 18x18 multipliers at up to 250 MHz, 156 general-purpose I/Os with support for LVDS, LVTTL, LVCMOS, SSTL and HSTL standards, and embedded memory arranged in M9K and M144K blocks totaling 3.5 Mbits. The die is fabricated on a 40 nm process and operates from a core voltage around 0.9 V with separate PLL, transceiver and I/O supply rails.
Architecturally the EP2AGX45CU17C5N arranges logic in 1,805 LABs (Logic Array Blocks), each containing 10 adaptive logic modules. Multi-track interconnect routes signals between LABs, M9K memory, DSP blocks, and the transceiver PMA/PCS layers. Hard memory controllers and PCIe Gen1 hard IP blocks reduce soft-logic utilization for common protocols, leaving the user fabric free for application-specific state machines, DSP, and control planes.
Typical applications include PCIe Gen1 endpoint cards, video broadcast and processing pipelines, industrial imaging and machine vision, military radar and signal-processing front ends, and telecom line cards requiring 3.125 Gbps CPRI or OBSAI links. The combination of mid-density logic and integrated transceivers is also well suited to test-and-measurement equipment and software-defined radio prototyping.
Designers should plan power sequencing for the 0.9 V core, 2.5 V/3.3 V I/O and the transceiver analog supply rails, and provide sufficient decoupling on each rail. Bitstream configuration is via passive serial, fast passive parallel, JTAG, or the built-in Altera Enhanced Configuration Device interface. Engineers are advised to consult the Arria II GX Device Data Sheet Section I for absolute maximum ratings, recommended operating conditions and detailed transceiver electrical characteristics before board bring-up.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing for the EP2AGX45CU17C5N, plus a comparison against same-package Arria II GX speed-grade and temperature-grade drop-in alternatives, and practical design notes that complement the manufacturer datasheet.
Drop-in alternatives for EP2AGX45CU17C5N 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 EP2AGX45CU17C5N (same form factor and footprint) β differing in Package, Speed Grade, Device Type, Logic Elements, Operating Temperature.
Quick Comparison Tool β Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP2AGX45CU17C4N
β Drop-Inπ Reference alternative (not in catalog)
EP2AGX45CU17C6N
β Drop-Inπ Reference alternative (not in catalog)
EP2AGX45CU17C5G
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$228.5 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP2AGX45CU17C4G
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$145.75 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP2AGX45CU17C5N Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Device Family | Arria II GX |
| Device Type | FPGA |
| Logic Elements (LE) | 45,000 (approx.) |
| Logic Array Blocks (LABs) | 1,805 |
| Embedded Memory | 3,517,440 bits (3.5 Mbits) |
| Adaptive Logic Modules (ALMs) | 17,724 (approx.) |
| User I/O Count | 156 |
| Multi-Gigabit Transceivers | Up to 8 channels at 3.75 Gbps |
| DSP Blocks | 18x18 multipliers, approx. 156 |
| Package | 358-ball UBGA / FCBGA |
| Core Voltage | 0.9 V (nominal) |
| Process Node | 40 nm TSMC |
| Operating Temperature Grade | Commercial (C5 speed grade) |
| Speed Grade | 5 (mid) |
| Configuration Modes | Passive Serial, Fast Passive Parallel, JTAG, Enhanced Configuration Device |
EP2AGX45CU17C5N 358-ball ubga / fcbga Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EP2AGX45CU17C5N (358-ball ubga / fcbga 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 EP2AGX45CU17C5N.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EP2AGX45CU17C5N is suitable for 6 applications: PCIe Gen1 Endpoint Cards, Video Broadcast and Image Processing, Industrial Machine Vision and Imaging, Telecom Line Cards and Wireless Backhaul, Test and Measurement Instrumentation, Software Defined Radio Prototyping.
PCIe Gen1 Endpoint Cards
The EP2AGX45CU17C5N's hard PCIe Gen1 endpoint IP block and eight 3.75 Gbps transceivers make it a natural fit for x1 and x4 PCIe endpoint cards used in industrial control, instrumentation, and data-acquisition. Designers instantiate the PCIe hard IP through the Quartus II MegaWizard, allocate up to four transceiver channels to the PCIe link, and use the remaining 45K logic elements for application-specific register space, DMA engines, and interrupt controllers. The 3.5 Mbit embedded memory is large enough to buffer multiple PCIe payload transactions without external SRAM, reducing board complexity and BOM cost.
Recommended
Video Broadcast and Image Processing
Broadcast routers, multi-channel SDI switchers, and real-time video scalers benefit from the EP2AGX45CU17C5N's combination of 18x18 multipliers (DSP blocks at 250 MHz), 3.5 Mbit on-chip memory for line buffers, and 156 flexible I/O that can be configured as LVDS pairs for SDI, HDMI or DisplayPort interfacing. The fabric can ingest 3G-SDI streams on dedicated transceiver channels and process them with colour-space conversion and frame-rate conversion in the same device. Compared with a discrete DSP + ASSP solution, the FPGA reduces board area and lets designers upgrade codecs via bitstream updates without respinning the PCB.
Recommended
Industrial Machine Vision and Imaging
Machine-vision frame grabbers and high-speed camera link interfaces rely on the EP2AGX45CU17C5N's transceiver channels for Camera Link HS, CoaXPress, or GigE Vision serial protocols, while the 45K logic elements implement Bayer demosaicing, defect detection and HDR stitching. The 156 user I/Os expose LVDS and LVCMOS interfaces to industrial sensors and trigger I/O, and the DSP blocks accelerate convolution kernels for edge detection at line rate. Industrial-grade variants in the same family share the same bitstream, allowing the same firmware to be deployed across commercial, industrial and extended-temperature assemblies.
Recommended
Telecom Line Cards and Wireless Backhaul
CPRI, OBSAI and Serial RapidIO links at 3.072 Gbps and 3.125 Gbps fit naturally inside the EP2AGX45CU17C5N's 3.75 Gbps transceiver capability, making it a good fit for small-cell base-station line cards and remote-radio-head (RRH) digital pre-distortion engines. The device's dedicated DSP blocks run Crest Factor Reduction (CFR) and Digital Pre-Distortion (DPD) algorithms at full LTE channel bandwidth, while the on-chip memory holds coefficient lookup tables. Designers can dedicate one transceiver pair to the CPRI link and use the remaining logic for baseband datapath without needing an external ASSP.
Recommended
Test and Measurement Instrumentation
Protocol-aware logic analyzers, bit-error-rate testers and serial-bus analyzers use the EP2AGX45CU17C5N's transceiver channels to monitor PCIe, SATA, USB 3.0 (via PIPE bridge) and 10GbE KR signals at up to 3.75 Gbps, while the 45K LE fabric implements state-machine-based protocol decoding. The 3.5 Mbit embedded memory acts as a circular trigger buffer, and the 156 user I/Os expose parallel trigger buses to external probes. Engineers benefit from the same bitstream running across C4, C5 and C6 speed grades, simplifying board bring-up and unit-to-unit performance characterization.
Recommended
Software Defined Radio Prototyping
Software-defined radio platforms targeting WiMAX, LTE and military waveforms use the EP2AGX45CU17C5N's 3.75 Gbps ADAC interface (via transceiver channels to an external ADC/DAC) plus its 18x18 multiplier array for digital up-conversion, digital down-conversion and channelization. The 3.5 Mbit of embedded memory is sufficient to host overlap-add FFT buffers and polyphase filter banks for 20 MHz LTE channels, while 156 user I/Os provide interfaces to RF front ends, GPS disciplined oscillators, and external DDR2 memory controllers. The same hardware design can be re-targeted to Arria V or Cyclone V with Quartus migration for longer life-cycle support.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP2AGX45CU17C5N β comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP2AGX45CU17C4N | EP2AGX45CU17C6N | EP2AGX45CU17C5G | EP2AGX45CU17C4G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel |
| Package | 358-ball UBGA (CU17) | 358-ball UBGA (CU17) - same | 358-ball UBGA (CU17) - same | 358-ball UBGA (CU17) - same | 358-ball UBGA (CU17) - same |
| Logic Elements | 45,000 approx. | 45,000 approx. | 45,000 approx. | 45,000 approx. | 45,000 approx. |
| Speed Grade | C5 (mid) | C4 (fastest) | C6 (slow) | C5 (mid) | C4 (fastest) |
| User I/O | 156 | 156 | 156 | 156 | 156 |
| Embedded Memory | 3.5 Mbit | 3.5 Mbit | 3.5 Mbit | 3.5 Mbit | 3.5 Mbit |
| Transceivers | 8 ch @ 3.75 Gbps | 8 ch @ 3.75 Gbps | 8 ch @ 3.75 Gbps | 8 ch @ 3.75 Gbps | 8 ch @ 3.75 Gbps |
| Lead-Free (G suffix) | No | No | No | Yes | Yes |
Key Differentiators
- Hard PCIe Gen1 endpoint IP integrated on-chip (vs EP4CGX22CF19C6N (Cyclone IV GX, 22K LE))
- 8 transceiver channels at 3.75 Gbps with same-package speed-grade scaling (vs EP2AGX45CU17C4N (C4 speed grade in same UBGA CU17 package))
- Pb-free / RoHS compliant finish variant on identical die (vs EP2AGX45CU17C5G (G suffix variant in same package))
Design Notes
Estimated: At 0.9 V core x typical Arria II GX EP2AGX45 in-coupon core current around 1.5 A under 70% utilization and 8 active transceivers at 3.75 Gbps, total core power is approximately 1.35 W. Add 0.6 W per active transceiver (PMA + PCS), so 8 channels can contribute ~4.8 W. Provide separate Ferrite-bead-isolated rails for VCCINT (0.9 V), VCCA (2.5 V PLL analog), VCCD_PLL, VCCIO (1.2 to 3.3 V) and VCHIP/GXB (transceiver 1.1 V/1.5 V). Decoupling: 0.1 uF X7R 0402 one per power pin plus 10 uF bulk per rail. Always follow the Arria II GX Handbook power-up sequence to prevent back-powering through I/O cells.
Estimated: With core + 8 transceivers + 156 I/O at 25 MHz toggling, typical total package power is in the 6 to 9 W range. The 358-ball UBGA has theta-JA around 12 to 14 C/W on a 2s2p JEDEC test board with adequate airflow, so worst-case junction temperature rise above ambient is on the order of 72 to 126 C. Use the Quartus II PowerPlay Power Analyzer with the design's actual toggle rate and utilization to refine the estimate, then validate with on-board thermocouples or a thermal camera during characterization.
Use a 6- or 8-layer PCB with dedicated ground and power planes directly under the 17x17 mm UBGA footprint. Route the eight 3.75 Gbps transceiver differential pairs on the top layer with 100 ohm differential impedance, 5x to 8x trace width away from other signals, and an unbroken reference plane. Match intra-pair skew below 5 mil and pair-to-pair skew below 50 mil. Provide length-matched AC-coupling capacitors of 100 nF (X7R 0201) in series with each TX/RX trace, placed close to the FPGA ball. The PCI Express and SATA reference clock requires a 100 MHz low-jitter clock source; use a dedicated clock driver if multiple endpoints share the same reference.
A common board bring-up issue with Arria II GX is using the wrong Quartus II device library for the speed grade, which causes fitter errors or missing PCIe hard IP placements. Always select the exact EP2AGX45CU17C5N device string in the Quartus device selector before synthesis. Another frequent mistake is failing to strap MSEL pins for the correct configuration mode - leaving them floating can cause intermittent configuration failure on power-up. Finally, the C5 mid speed grade delivers about 10% lower Fmax than C4, so timing-critical DSP blocks at 250 MHz may need to be retargeted to C4 if closure is not achieved.
Compliance Information
EP2AGX45CU17C5N ball finish contains lead per Altera/Intel product documentation; use the EP2AGX45CU17C5G G-suffix variant for RoHS compliance. FPGAs are not AEC-Q100 qualified; commercial (C) temperature grade only.
