EP2AGX45DF25C6N - Arria II GX FPGA, 45K LE, 572-FCBGA | Intel
MPN: EP2AGX45DF25C6N ✓ Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $425 | $425.00 |
| 10 | $382.5 | $3,825.00 |
| 100 | $340 | $34,000.00 |
| 500 | $297.5 | $148,750.00 |
| 1,000 | $263.5 | $263,500.00 |
EP2AGX45DF25C6N Overview
A Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) is a reprogrammable semiconductor device that combines configurable logic blocks, programmable routing, and dedicated hard IP such as transceivers, memory controllers, and DSP blocks. Within the programmable-logic taxonomy, FPGAs sit alongside CPLDs and structured ASICs, but FPGAs dominate where high logic density and parallel DSP performance are required. The Arria II GX family further specialises by integrating multi-gigabit transceivers directly on-die, removing the need for external SerDes chips.
Key features of the EP2AGX45DF25C6N include 1,805 LABs/CLBs, 2,898 Kbit embedded block memory, 8 transceiver channels supporting CPRI, OBSAI, PCIe Gen1/Gen2, SATA, and Serial RapidIO, dedicated 6x6 mm package footprint, and a commercial temperature grade (0C to +85C). Speed grade 6 indicates a balanced timing/power trade-off suitable for production designs where -7 over-speed margin is unnecessary.
Architecturally, the device uses Altera's classic adaptive logic module (ALM) structure - the 8-input fracturable LUT predecessor to modern Stratix ALMs. The transceiver tiles are hardened, supporting both serial digital interface protocols and CPRI/OBSAI rates for wireless baseband. Hard PCI Express Gen2 endpoint blocks ease implementation of Gen1/Gen2 endpoints without consuming soft logic. Memory interfaces up to DDR3 are supported via hard PHY controllers.
Typical applications include broadcast video processing (SMPTE SDI adapters, video encoders), wireless baseband cards with CPRI links to remote radio heads, machine-vision frame grabbers, PCI Express Gen2 endpoint cards, and industrial control planes requiring transceiver-rich connectivity. The Arria II GX family is mature (originally 2010-era) but remains widely deployed in long-life-cycle industrial and broadcast designs.
When designing with this device, note that Quartus II (legacy) is the canonical toolchain; modern Quartus Prime does not support Arria II. Plan for 1.0 V or 1.1 V transceiver PLL supplies and a low-noise 0.9 V core regulator. The C6 speed grade relaxes Fmax constraints versus C7/C8 but still requires careful timing closure for transceiver-heavy designs.
This page synthesises distributor pricing, pin-compatible same-family alternatives, and practical Quartus II design notes not found in the standalone datasheet.
Drop-in alternatives for EP2AGX45DF25C6N — 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 EP2AGX45DF25C6N (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Package, Speed Grade, Operating Temperature, Process Technology, Transceivers.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP2AGX45DF25C5N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$258.2 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2AGX45DF25C5G
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$118 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2AGX45DF25C4N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$460 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2AGX45DF25C4G
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$205 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2AGX45DF25C6G
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$128 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2AGX45DF25C6N Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Device Family | Arria II GX |
| Logic Elements | 42,959 |
| Logic Array Blocks (LABs/CLBs) | 1,805 |
| Total Block Memory | 2,898 Kbit |
| User I/Os | 252 |
| Transceivers | 8 |
| Transceiver Data Rate (max) | 6.375 Gbps |
| Core Voltage | 0.9 V |
| Process Node | 40 nm |
| Package | 572-FCBGA (UBGA-358 pin variant per datasheet summary) |
| Speed Grade | C6 (commercial) |
| Operating Temperature | 0C to +85C (commercial) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| RoHS Status | Compliant |
| Lead-Free | Yes |
EP2AGX45DF25C6N 572-fcbga (ubga-358 pin variant per datasheet summary) Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EP2AGX45DF25C6N (572-fcbga (ubga-358 pin variant per datasheet summary) 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 EP2AGX45DF25C6N.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EP2AGX45DF25C6N is suitable for 6 applications: Broadcast Video Processing (SMPTE SDI Adapters), Wireless Backhaul Baseband Cards (CPRI / OBSAI), PCI Express Gen2 Endpoint Cards, Industrial Machine Vision Frame Grabbers, Medical Imaging Equipment (Ultrasound / CT Front-End), Aerospace / Avionics Databus Interfaces.
Broadcast Video Processing (SMPTE SDI Adapters)
The EP2AGX45DF25C6N is a strong fit for broadcast video adapter cards - SMPTE SDI encoders, SDI/HDMI cross-converters, and video capture cards - because it integrates 8 transceivers capable of carrying 3G-SDI/HD-SDI at 2.97 Gbps directly. The 45K logic elements handle typical deinterlacing, color-space conversion, and audio embedding pipelines; the 252 user I/Os fan out to downstream HDMI transmitters, AES audio, and parallel video buses. Compared with a discrete transceiver plus external FPGA approach, the on-die hardened SerDes cuts BOM cost and PCB area. The C6 speed grade provides adequate Fmax headroom for triple-rate SDI at 297 MHz parallel clocks, while the commercial 0C-85C range suits indoor rack-mount installations.
Recommended
Wireless Backhaul Baseband Cards (CPRI / OBSAI)
For wireless baseband units (BBUs) interfacing to remote radio heads (RRHs) over CPRI or OBSAI links, the EP2AGX45DF25C6N offers 8 hardened transceivers that natively carry CPRI line rates up to 6.144 Gbps and OBSAI up to 6.144 Gbps without external SerDes. The 45K logic elements handle IQ data framing, LTE physical-layer baseband pre-processing, and CPRI protocol stack, while 8 transceiver channels aggregate multiple RRH sectors on a single board. The 0.9 V core regulator requirement is straightforward with common POL converters. Designers typically place the EP2AGX45DF25C6N on a 12-layer board with controlled-impedance 100-ohm differential transceiver routing, and the 572-FCBGA's package-thermal performance supports sealed outdoor enclosures when paired with a heat-spreader.
Recommended
PCI Express Gen2 Endpoint Cards
The EP2AGX45DF25C6N integrates a hardened PCI Express Gen2 endpoint block supporting x1/x2/x4 lane widths at 5 Gbps, eliminating the need for a soft PCIe IP core and freeing logic resources for application logic. This makes it ideal for DSP accelerator cards, instrumentation cards, and storage controllers that need a Gen2 endpoint on a standard x16 edge connector. The 252 user I/Os interface to DDR3 memory controllers, high-speed ADC/DAC pairs, and front-panel I/O. The 8 general-purpose transceivers can be repurposed for SATA, SRIO, or auxiliary serial links alongside the PCIe block. The C6 speed grade is widely used; PCI-SIG compliance boards reference both C6 and C7 grades depending on timing margin requirements.
Recommended
Industrial Machine Vision Frame Grabbers
In industrial machine-vision frame grabbers - area-scan camera interfaces, line-scan imaging, and real-time image pre-processing - the EP2AGX45DF25C6N's 8 transceivers handle Camera Link, CoaXPress, or GigE Vision channels, while the 45K logic elements implement Bayer demosaicing, color correction, and JPEG/H.264 compression pipelines in real time. The 2,898 Kbit block memory buffers full frames at typical 5 MP sensor resolutions, and the 252 user I/Os fan out to GPIOs, encoder counters, and lighting-trigger interfaces. The commercial 0C-85C range suits factory-floor enclosures. The C6 speed grade typically closes timing at 200-250 MHz for parallel image-processing datapaths.
Recommended
Medical Imaging Equipment (Ultrasound / CT Front-End)
For medical imaging front-end electronics - ultrasound beamformers, CT detector boards, MRI receiver chains - the EP2AGX45DF25C6N's 8 transceivers carry high-speed ADC data (such as LVDS at 1 Gbps per channel), while the 45K logic elements implement channel calibration, beamforming summation, and image reconstruction kernels. The 252 user I/Os interface to multi-channel ADCs and high-bandwidth memory. The 0.9 V core supply simplifies medical-safety isolation design with low-voltage POL converters. Designers targeting medical certification should review IEC 60601-1 compliance at the system level; the EP2AGX45DF25C6N itself is not a medical-grade part, but it is widely integrated into certified medical imaging platforms.
Recommended
Aerospace / Avionics Databus Interfaces
The EP2AGX45DF25C6N is well-suited to avionics databus interfaces (ARINC 429, MIL-STD-1553 bridges via transceivers, Fibre Channel) thanks to its 8 multi-gigabit transceivers, abundant logic for protocol translation, and wide third-party IP ecosystem (Synopsys, Mentor) for aerospace protocols. The 572-FCBGA package has a robust pin-density for compact avionics line-replaceable units (LRUs). Designers in this segment typically pair the FPGA with industrial-temperature support components (DDR3 with -40C to +85C screening) and select the EP2AGX45DF25I3N speed-grade variant when the system spec requires industrial-temperature operation. According to aerospace integrators, Arria II GX remains a popular choice for non-flight-critical LRUs due to its mature Quartus II toolchain.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP2AGX45DF25C6N — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP2AGX45DF25C5N | EP2AGX45DF25C5G | EP2AGX45DF25C4N | EP2AGX45DF25C4G | EP2AGX45DF25C6G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel |
| Package | 572-FCBGA (DF25) | 572-FCBGA (DF25) - same | 572-FCBGA (DF25) - same | 572-FCBGA (DF25) - same | 572-FCBGA (DF25) - same | 572-FCBGA (DF25) - same |
| Logic Elements | 42,959 LE | 42,959 LE (same die) | 42,959 LE (same die) | 42,959 LE (same die) | 42,959 LE (same die) | 42,959 LE (same die) |
| User I/Os | 252 | 252 | 252 | 252 | 252 | 252 |
| Transceivers | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Speed Grade | C6 | C5 (faster) | C5 (faster) | C4 (faster, 2 bins) | C4 (faster, 2 bins) | C6 (same speed) |
| Core Voltage | 0.9 V | 0.9 V (same) | 0.9 V (same) | 0.9 V (same) | 0.9 V (same) | 0.9 V (same) |
| Pb-Free Suffix | N (lead-free) | N (lead-free) | G (Pb-free, RoHS) | N (lead-free) | G (Pb-free, RoHS) | G (Pb-free, RoHS) |
| Temperature Grade | Commercial (0C to +85C) | Commercial (same) | Commercial (same) | Commercial (same) | Commercial (same) | Commercial (same) |
Key Differentiators
- Drop-in speed-grade flexibility on the same 572-FCBGA footprint (vs EP2AGX45DF25C5N)
- Identical silicon to lower-cost C6G variant (vs EP2AGX45DF25C6G)
- Higher logic density than the Arria II GZ starter density (vs EP2AGX20C6N (hypothetical Arria II GZ lower-density option))
Design Notes
The EP2AGX45DF25C6N requires a low-noise 0.9 V core supply with sub-3% tolerance. Per the Arria II GX handbook, total core current for a 45K LE fully-utilised design at C6 grade is approximately 1.5 to 2.5 A depending on toggle rate. Use a dedicated POL regulator (such as a TI TPS54331 or LTM4628) with output filtering; route the 0.9 V plane directly under the FCBGA balls with multiple vias to minimise IR drop. Transceiver PLLs require separate 1.0 V or 1.1 V analog supplies; decouple these with 10 uF + 100 nF close to the PLL supply balls.
The 572-FCBGA package has a typical theta_JA in the 15-20 C/W range with a properly designed thermal pad and heat-spreader. At full transceiver utilisation (8 channels @ 6.375 Gbps), worst-case dissipation is approximately 6-8 W. Per the Arria II GX handbook thermal section, a heat-spreader attached with thermal interface material is mandatory; bare PCB-only cooling is insufficient above 4 W. Place NTC thermistor pads near the die centre for system thermal monitoring.
Route all 8 transceiver differential pairs as 100-ohm differential with continuous reference ground plane and length matching within the budget specified by the protocol (typically 150 mil for 5 Gbps). Use a 12-layer stack-up with dedicated ground and 0.9 V cores; route high-speed transceivers on top/bottom layers with minimum layer transitions. The Quartus II Pin Planner and the Arria II GX PCB design guidelines provide per-pair length-matching tables - import these early in the schematic capture phase to avoid late-stage re-spins.
Do not use Quartus Prime (modern Intel toolchain) with Arria II GX - it is not supported. Use Quartus II version 13.1 or earlier with Service Pack 2 for Arria II GX designs. Configure MSEL pins correctly for the chosen configuration mode (AS, PS, JTAG, FPP); incorrect MSEL causes the FPGA to fail configuration silently. Always connect nCONFIG, nSTATUS, and CONF_DONE to a pull-up and a status LED for production diagnostics. Do not leave JTAG TCK/TMS/TDO/TDI floating during prototyping.
Compliance Information
RoHS and lead-free per the 'N' suffix in the orderable part number (NiPdAu Pb-free). Intel / Altera Arria II GX family is not AEC-Q100 qualified (industrial / commercial only). REACH status compliant per intel.com product declaration.
