EP2AGX45DF29C5G - Arria II GX 45K LE FPGA, 364 I/O, FC-FBGA-780 | Intel
MPN: EP2AGX45DF29C5G β End of Life| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $425 | $425.00 |
| 10 | $402.5 | $4,025.00 |
| 100 | $380 | $38,000.00 |
| 500 | $357.5 | $178,750.00 |
| 1,000 | $335 | $335,000.00 |
EP2AGX45DF29C5G Overview
A Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) is a programmable logic device whose interconnect, lookup tables, and I/O behavior are defined after manufacture, allowing hardware designers to implement custom digital functions without committing to a fixed ASIC mask set. Modern transceiver-enabled FPGAs occupy a tier between low-cost CPLDs and high-end ASIC/SoC devices, balancing cost, power, DSP bandwidth, and serial-link speed. The Arria II GX family, sitting between the lower-density Cyclone and the higher-density Stratix IV, targets applications that need multi-gigabit transceivers and moderate logic capacity at a lower cost-per-transceiver than flagship parts.
Key features include up to 8 full-duplex transceiver channels operating at 600 Mbps to 6.375 Gbps with integrated PMA and PCS blocks, hard PCI Express (PIPE) Gen1/Gen2 IP cores, hard memory controllers for DDR3, DDR2, and QDR II+/QDR II SRAM, up to 156 full-precision 18x18 multipliers for DSP, and dedicated dynamic phase-alignment circuitry for source-synchronous interfaces. On-die PLLs support a wide range of reference clock frequencies, and the LVDS channel count reaches up to 128 true LVDS pairs at data rates above 1 Gbps.
Typical applications for the EP2AGX45DF29C5G include protocol bridging cards (PCI Express to multi-gigabit serial), broadcast video and image processing, wireless baseband preprocessing, industrial imaging and machine vision, test and measurement equipment with high-speed serial acquisition, and defense/aerospace subsystems requiring radiation-tolerant-by-design flow. The combination of moderate LE count, 6.375 Gbps transceivers, and PCI Express hard IP makes the device a frequent drop-in choice for designs originally drafted on Altera Arria II GX.
When designing with this part, allocate sufficient PCB area for the 29 mm x 29 mm FC-FBGA-780 package and follow the Altera/Altera power-rail sequencing guidance for VCC, VCCAUX, VCCD_PLL, and VCCPT. Use Quartus II (or later) with the Arria II GX device library for compilation, fitting, and timing closure. Confirm transceiver channel mapping and reference-clock topology against the pin-out file (CSV) before committing to layout, and verify signal-integrity compliance on all high-speed serial links using IBIS-AMI models.
Drop-in alternatives for EP2AGX45DF29C5G 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 EP2AGX45DF29C5G (same form factor and footprint) β differing in Speed Grade, Package, Operating Temperature, Mounting Type, Process Technology.
Quick Comparison Tool β Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP2AGX45DF29C4N
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$335.45 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP2AGX45DF29C4G
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$430 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP2AGX45DF29C3N
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$178 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP2AGX45DF29C5
β Drop-Inπ Reference alternative (not in catalog)
EP2AGX45DF29C6N
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$175 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP2AGX45DF29C5G Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | Arria II GX |
| Logic Elements (LE) | 42,959 |
| Logic Array Blocks (LABs) | 1,805 |
| Embedded Memory Bits | 3,517,440 |
| User I/O Count | 364 |
| Transceiver Channels | 8 |
| Max Transceiver Data Rate | 6.375 Gbps |
| Speed Grade | C5 |
| Core Voltage (typ.) | 0.9 V |
| Operating Junction Temperature | 0Β°C to 85Β°C (Commercial) |
| Package | 780-ball FC-FBGA (29 mm x 29 mm) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount (BGA) |
| Lead Finish | Pb-free (G suffix) |
| RoHS Status | Compliant |
| Configuration Memory | SRAM-based (volatile) |
| Process Node | 40 nm TSMC low-power |
| Hard Memory Controllers | DDR3 / DDR2 / QDR II+ / QDR II |
| PCI Express Hard IP | Gen1/Gen2 (PIPE) |
| DSP 18x18 Multipliers | Up to 156 |
| PLLs | On-die (multiple) |
EP2AGX45DF29C5G 780-ball fc-fbga (29 mm x 29 mm) Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EP2AGX45DF29C5G (780-ball fc-fbga (29 mm x 29 mm) 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 EP2AGX45DF29C5G.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EP2AGX45DF29C5G is suitable for 7 applications: PCI Express Gen2 Protocol Bridge Card, Wireless Baseband Preprocessing, Broadcast Video and Image Processing, Industrial Imaging and Machine Vision, Test and Measurement Equipment with High-Speed Serial Acquisition, Aerospace and Defense Avionics Subsystems, Custom Embedded Compute Backplane.
PCI Express Gen2 Protocol Bridge Card
The EP2AGX45DF29C5G is well-suited to PCI Express Gen1/Gen2 endpoint and root-port protocol bridge cards because of its hard PIPE Gen2 IP core and 8 transceiver channels capable of 6.375 Gbps. With 42,959 LEs, 1,805 LABs, and 3,517,440 bits of embedded memory, the device can implement a x4 or x8 PCIe link plus application-layer protocol state machines such as PCIe-to-Serial-RapidIO or PCIe-to-Gigabit Ethernet bridges. Designers typically instantiate the Avalon-MM or Avalon-ST PCIe IP, configure the BARs and interrupts, and place the card in a host PC or embedded CPU backplane. The 780-ball FC-FBGA package with 364 user I/O pins provides ample LVDS and single-ended GPIO for board-level interconnect to external PHYs.
Recommended
Wireless Baseband Preprocessing
For wireless baseband preprocessing in small-cell or picocell infrastructure, the EP2AGX45DF29C5G offers 8 CPRI/OBSAI-capable serial links at up to 6.375 Gbps, sufficient for 6G CPRI backhaul to a baseband processor. The 156 18x18 multipliers handle upstream/downstream FFT and digital filtering, while 3.5 Mbits of block RAM provide buffering between the radio unit and the host. Designers commonly pair the device with external ADC/DAC banks and place it adjacent to a baseband SoC on a baseband card. The commercial 0Β°C to 85Β°C temperature range and Pb-free G finish suit indoor telecom environments and simplify EU/NA regulatory compliance.
Recommended
Broadcast Video and Image Processing
The 8 transceiver channels at 6.375 Gbps and 3.5 Mbits of internal block RAM make the EP2AGX45DF29C5G viable for broadcast video routers, SDI-to-IP gateway blades, and image-processing pipelines. Designers can implement multi-stream HD-SDI aggregation, de-interlacing, scaling, and overlay in firmware, then output 3G-SDI, HDMI, or DisplayPort over a custom serializer. The 364 user I/O pins support LVCMOS-12 video buses alongside LVDS and DDR3 memory interfaces, and the dedicated DDR3 controller simplifies frame-buffer layouts. Industrial video cameras and machine-vision systems also benefit from the hard PCIe endpoint block for plug-in-card form factors.
Recommended
Industrial Imaging and Machine Vision
In machine-vision frame grabbers, the EP2AGX45DF29C5G receives high-throughput Camera Link, CoaXPress, or gigabit-Ethernet image streams via its 8 transceivers, then performs pre-processing (debayering, white balance, region-of-interest cropping) before forwarding to a host CPU over PCIe Gen2. The 156 18x18 multipliers accelerate convolution kernels and color-space conversion, and the 3.5 Mbits of block RAM hold line buffers for up to 4K line-scan imagers. The 780-ball FC-FBGA provides enough GPIO for trigger I/O, encoders, lighting strobes, and IP67-rated industrial enclosure pass-through signals. The 0.9 V core voltage keeps total board power well within typical 25 W frame-grabber thermal envelopes.
Recommended
Test and Measurement Equipment with High-Speed Serial Acquisition
The EP2AGX45DF29C5G fits mid-range oscilloscopes, protocol analyzers, and bit-error-rate testers that require acquisition over 6.375 Gbps links. Its 8 transceivers can capture multi-lane standards such as USB 3.0, SATA, or 10 GbE XAUI simultaneously, while the 42,959 LEs run pattern-generator, error-counter, and protocol-decode firmware. Designers can leverage the hard PCIe endpoint for instrument-to-host streaming, and the 3.5 Mbits of block RAM stage deep acquisition bursts before DMA to host memory. The commercial C5 speed grade supports the 0Β°C to 85Β°C instrument chassis environment, and the Pb-free G finish simplifies global lab-equipment shipments.
Recommended
Aerospace and Defense Avionics Subsystems
Aerospace and defense subsystems adopt the EP2AGX45DF29C5G for radar preprocessing, mission-computing I/O expansion, and secure communications cards that require multi-gigabit serial links. The 8 transceivers at 6.375 Gbps support protocols such as Serial RapidIO, SpaceWire-D, and custom MIL-STD-1553 bridges, while the hard memory controllers attach directly to DDR3 SDRAM for radar buffer storage. Designers pair the FPGA with radiation-hardened companion components on a conduction-cooled VPX or VME64 card. Pb-free G finish and RoHS compliance align with modern DO-254 and MIL-HDBK-454 procurement guidelines.
Recommended
Custom Embedded Compute Backplane
In custom embedded compute backplanes, the EP2AGX45DF29C5G serves as a glue logic and high-speed bridge between CPU modules, storage, and I/O cards. Its hard PCIe Gen2 endpoint connects to a host SBC via x4 or x8 lanes, while 6.375 Gbps transceivers link to SATA SSDs, USB 3.0 hubs, or 10 GbE NICs. The 364 GPIO plus LVDS channels route legacy backplane signals (GPIO, SPI, I2C, UART) and front-panel controls. Designers place the FPGA on a VPX, OpenVPX, or proprietary backplane carrier and use Quartus II to integrate custom firmware with the host operating system.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP2AGX45DF29C5G β comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP2AGX45DF29C4N | EP2AGX45DF29C4G | EP2AGX45DF29C3N | EP2AGX45DF29C5 | EP2AGX45DF29C6N |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Package | 780-ball FC-FBGA | 780-ball FC-FBGA - same | 780-ball FC-FBGA - same | 780-ball FC-FBGA - same | 780-ball FC-FBGA - same | 780-ball FC-FBGA - same |
| Brand | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel |
| Speed Grade | C5 | C4 (slower) | C4 (slower) | C3 (slowest) | C5 (same) | C6 (slower) |
| Logic Elements | 42,959 | 42,959 | 42,959 | 42,959 | 42,959 | 42,959 |
| Transceiver Data Rate | Up to 6.375 Gbps | Up to 6.375 Gbps | Up to 6.375 Gbps | Up to 6.375 Gbps | Up to 6.375 Gbps | Up to 6.375 Gbps |
| Pb-free Finish | Yes (G suffix) | No (N suffix) | Yes (G suffix) | No (N suffix) | No | No (N suffix) |
| User I/O Count | 364 | 364 | 364 | 364 | 364 | 364 |
| Lifecycle Status | NRND | NRND | NRND | NRND | NRND | NRND |
Key Differentiators
- Pb-free G suffix vs base EP2AGX45DF29C5 (vs EP2AGX45DF29C5)
- C5 speed grade vs C4/C3/C6 alternatives (vs EP2AGX45DF29C4N (C4) and EP2AGX45DF29C6N (C6))
- 8 transceivers at 6.375 Gbps with hard PCIe Gen2 IP (vs Cyclone IV GX family (3.125 Gbps transceivers))
Design Notes
Estimated: the Arria II GX 780-ball FC-FBGA has a published Theta-JA in the range of 8-12 C/W with standard JEDEC JESD51-7 8-layer test board and no heatsink. At full transceivers-active + 80% LE utilization, junction temperature can climb 35-50 C above ambient. For C5 commercial parts (TJ max 100Β°C), reduce ambient target below 50Β°C or attach a small top-side heatsink with thermal interface material. Critical for fanless chassis designs.
Use a stackup with at least 8 layers to route 6.375 Gbps transceiver channels. Reference planes must be continuous under each high-speed TX/RX lane, with via stitching every 100 mils to maintain return-path integrity. The 0.5 mm- or 0.8 mm-pitch FC-FBGA escape demands microvia (laser-drilled) stackup rather than through-via fan-out. Critical for first-pass signal-integrity compliance.
Estimated: at full load (8 transceivers active, 80% LE, 50% RAM, 156 DSP blocks), the 0.9 V core VCC rail can draw 3-5 A, plus VCCAUX, VCCPT, and VCCD_PLL auxiliaries totaling another 1-2 A. Use a multi-phase buck regulator with a 1.0 V to 1.1 V intermediate rail, then drop to 0.9 V via an LDO or high-efficiency buck for best jitter. Recommended to power-up VCCAUX and VCCPT before or simultaneously with VCC core.
Do not leave configuration mode floating; tie MSEL[2:0] to the correct logic level for your configuration scheme (AS, PS, FPP, or JTAG-only). Failing to drive MSEL correctly is a top-1 reason Arria II GX boards fail to boot. Also, ensure nSTATUS, nCONFIG, and CONFIG_DONE are pulled up to VCCAUX correctly per the Arria II GX pin connection guidelines.
AC-couple every transceiver TX/RX pair with 100 nF X7R 0402 capacitors placed within 5 mm of the FPGA ball. Use Altera IBIS-AMI models and Quartus II transceiver toolkit simulation to verify eye-mask compliance at 6.375 Gbps before committing to PCB layout. Reference-clock routing must be 50-ohm controlled-impedance, length-matched to all channels, and isolated from noisy digital rails.
Compliance Information
Pb-free G suffix denotes RoHS-compliant lead finish. Arria II GX family is NRND as of 2026-09-08; AEC-Q100 not applicable since this is a commercial-grade FPGA. Halogen-free status not explicitly stated in retrieved distributor data.
