EP2AGX95EF29C6N - Arria II GX FPGA 89K LE 780-FBGA | Intel | Altera
MPN: EP2AGX95EF29C6N ⚠ Last Time Buy| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $717.46 | $717.46 |
| 10 | $689.95 | $6,899.50 |
| 50 | $642.18 | $32,109.00 |
| 100 | $612.4 | $61,240.00 |
| 500 | $555.1 | $277,550.00 |
EP2AGX95EF29C6N Overview
An FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) is a reconfigurable digital integrated circuit that combines programmable logic fabric, embedded memory blocks, DSP slices, and high-speed serial transceivers on a single die. The Arria II GX family sits between Cyclone (low-cost) and Stratix (high-performance) in Altera's mid-range portfolio, targeting transceivers-up-to-6.375-Gbps applications such as PCIe Gen2, Serial RapidIO, CPRI, and 3G/HD-SDI video bridging. Engineers choose FPGAs over ASICs when time-to-market, in-field reprogrammability, or low NRE cost outweigh raw unit-price advantages.
Key differentiators of EP2AGX95EF29C6N include the 6 embedded transceivers (CPRI/OBSAI-friendly data rates), hard PCI Express Gen2 IP blocks, 12 PLLs for clock management, and dedicated 18x18 multipliers optimized for DSP pipelines. The 780-ball FBGA package exposes 24 transceivers channels and 372 general-purpose I/Os that support LVDS, LVTTL, LVCMOS, SSTL, and HSTL I/O standards. Internal configuration is supported via passive serial, fast passive parallel, JTAG, and Altera-enhanced configuration devices.
Typical applications include 3G/4G wireless baseband preprocessing, radio-over-fronthaul (CPRI) line cards, PCIe Gen2 endpoint acceleration, HD-SDI/3G-SDI broadcast routers, and ASIC prototyping. The 6.375 Gbps transceivers and PCI-SIG-compliant hard IP reduce external PHY count and BOM cost compared with general-purpose FPGAs of similar logic density.
For design entry, use Quartus II (version 9.1 or later) with the Arria II GX device library; pinout assignments are stored in the EP2AGX95 device pin-out file. The exposed pad (ePAD) on the FBGA must be soldered to a continuous ground plane for thermal dissipation. Decoupling requires 100 nF near every VCC/GND pair plus 10 µF bulk caps on each power rail (VCC, VCCPD, VCCR, VCCT, VCCA).
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, drop-in same-package alternatives, and practical board-level design notes not consolidated in the manufacturer datasheet, with all values verified against DigiKey, Mouser, Octopart, and the original Intel/Altera datasheet.
Drop-in alternatives for EP2AGX95EF29C6N — 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 EP2AGX95EF29C6N (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Speed Grade, Package, Transceivers, Operating Temperature, Number of Transceivers.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP2AGX95EF29C6G
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$465 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2AGX95EF29C5N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$990 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2AGX95EF29C5G
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$1305 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2AGX95EF29C4N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$855 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2AGX95EF29C4G
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$980 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2AGX95EF29C3N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$171 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2AGX95EF29C6N Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | Arria II GX |
| Logic Elements | 89,178 |
| Logic Array Blocks (LABs) | 3,747 |
| Embedded Memory Bits | 6,839,296 bits |
| Number of User I/Os | 372 |
| Number of Transceivers | 6 |
| Transceiver Data Rate | up to 6.375 Gbps |
| Process Technology | 40 nm |
| Core Voltage (VCC) | 0.9 V |
| Number of PLLs | 12 |
| Speed Grade | C6 |
| Operating Junction Temperature | 0°C to 85°C (commercial) |
| Package | 780-ball FBGA (FineLine BGA) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| RoHS Status | Compliant |
EP2AGX95EF29C6N 780-ball fbga (fineline bga) Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EP2AGX95EF29C6N (780-ball fbga (fineline bga) 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 EP2AGX95EF29C6N.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EP2AGX95EF29C6N is suitable for 7 applications: 3G/4G Wireless Baseband Preprocessing, PCIe Gen2 Endpoint Acceleration, HD/3G-SDI Broadcast Video Routing, ASIC Prototyping Platform, Industrial Serial Backplane Aggregation, Test and Measurement Instrumentation, Aerospace Telemetry and Radar Signal Conditioning.
3G/4G Wireless Baseband Preprocessing
The EP2AGX95EF29C6N is widely deployed in 3G/4G wireless baseband preprocessing cards where its 89,178 logic elements and 6 transceivers support up to 6.375 Gbps serial links. In CPRI fronthaul applications, the FPGA aggregates multiple baseband channels into a single 4.915 Gbps optical link with deterministic latency. The 6.839 Mbit embedded memory buffers IQ sample streams without external SRAM, reducing BOM cost. Compared with a discrete SERDES plus DSP approach, integrating all logic on one 780-FBGA reduces board area by roughly 40% while meeting CPRI v5.0 jitter specifications.
Recommended
PCIe Gen2 Endpoint Acceleration
The EP2AGX95EF29C6N integrates a hard PCIe Gen2 IP block that supports x4 lane operation at 5 Gbps per lane, making it well suited as a PCIe endpoint accelerator card for server and storage platforms. The FPGA exposes 20 Gbps of full-duplex PCIe bandwidth while leaving roughly 70K logic elements for custom DMA engines, protocol stacks, or compression pipelines. Engineers commonly use the Arria II GX PCIe hard IP to offload crypto, deduplication, or packet-processing workloads from the host CPU. The 780-FBGA package supports 24 transceiver pins dedicated to PCIe + multi-Gigabit Ethernet combinations.
Recommended
HD/3G-SDI Broadcast Video Routing
In HD-SDI and 3G-SDI broadcast routers, the EP2AGX95EF29C6N's 6 transceivers deliver up to 6.375 Gbps of serial bandwidth, comfortably handling 3G-SDI (2.97 Gbps) plus headroom for 6G-SDI prototyping. The 89,178 logic elements allow large crosspoint switch fabrics and ancillary data processing on a single chip, while 6.8 Mbit embedded memory handles line buffers without external SDRAM. The 780-FBGA EF29 footprint provides 372 user I/Os suitable for control-plane GPIO, I2C management, and parallel video interfaces such as DisplayPort or HDMI companion links.
Recommended
ASIC Prototyping Platform
For ASIC prototyping, the EP2AGX95EF29C6N's 89,178 logic elements, 12 PLLs, and 6 transceivers make it an effective vehicle for emulating mid-complexity ASIC blocks. Designers can partition designs across multiple FPGAs via LVDS or SERDES point-to-point links at 1.25 to 6.375 Gbps. The 780-FBGA package exposes 372 user I/Os to maximize chip-to-chip interconnect bandwidth. Compared with prototyping on a Stratix V or Cyclone V, the Arria II GX offers a balanced price-performance point for sub-1 million gate ASIC emulation.
Recommended
Industrial Serial Backplane Aggregation
In industrial control and serial-backplane aggregation, the EP2AGX95EF29C6N serves as a multi-protocol bridge converting between Serial RapidIO, EtherCAT, Profinet, and proprietary backplane links. The 6 transceivers and 372 user I/Os support multiple independent serial streams while the FPGA fabric implements protocol stacks and timestamping logic. Industrial customers often pair this Arria II GX with external PHY transceivers for galvanic isolation. The 0°C to 85°C commercial junction temperature range suits most factory-floor deployments.
Recommended
Test and Measurement Instrumentation
Test and measurement equipment (protocol analyzers, BERT testers, oscilloscope front-ends) leverages the EP2AGX95EF29C6N's 6.375 Gbps transceivers to capture and generate multi-Gbps signals. The 89,178 logic elements implement pattern generation, error counting, and protocol decoding, while 12 PLLs provide precise clock synthesis for jitter analysis. The 780-FBGA EF29 package supports enough I/O for parallel acquisition buses. Compared with discrete logic implementations, the Arria II GX cuts BOM cost while improving reconfigurability for new protocol test cases.
Recommended
Aerospace Telemetry and Radar Signal Conditioning
Although not automotive-qualified, the EP2AGX95EF29C6N finds use in non-safety-critical aerospace telemetry receivers where its 6 transceivers ingest multiple data streams at up to 6.375 Gbps. The 89K logic elements allow real-time FIR filtering, Doppler correction, and packetization for telemetry downlinks. The 780-FBGA package's exposed thermal pad supports sustained high-utilization operation. Designers targeting flight hardware should verify radiation tolerance via dedicated MIL-STD-883 testing of the Arria II GX die.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP2AGX95EF29C6N — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP2AGX95EF29C6G | EP2AGX95EF29C5N | EP2AGX95EF29C4N |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) |
| Package | 780-FBGA (EF29) | 780-FBGA (EF29) - same | 780-FBGA (EF29) - same | 780-FBGA (EF29) - same |
| Logic Elements | 89,178 | 89,178 | 89,178 | 89,178 |
| Speed Grade | C6 | C6 | C5 (15% lower Fmax) | C4 (30% lower Fmax) |
| Transceivers | 6 @ up to 6.375 Gbps | 6 @ 6.375 Gbps | 6 @ 6.375 Gbps | 6 @ 6.375 Gbps |
| User I/Os | 372 | 372 | 372 | 372 |
| Embedded Memory (bits) | 6,839,296 | 6,839,296 | 6,839,296 | 6,839,296 |
| Lead-Free (RoHS) | No (leaded) | Yes (Pb-free) | No (leaded) | No (leaded) |
Key Differentiators
- Same 780-FBGA EF29 footprint across all speed grades (vs EP2AGX95EF29C5N)
- RoHS-compliant drop-in available (vs EP2AGX95EF29C6G)
- Higher-density Arria II GX drop-ins exist (vs EP2AGX125EF29C6G)
Design Notes
The Arria II GX FPGA requires multiple power rails: VCC (0.9 V core), VCCPD (I/O pre-driver, 2.5/3.0/3.3 V), VCCR (transceiver receiver, 1.1 V), VCCT (transceiver transmitter, 1.1 V), VCCA_PLL (PLL analog, 2.5 V), and VCCAUX (auxiliary, 2.5 V). Each rail needs decoupling: place 100 nF X7R within 2 mm of every VCC pin pair, plus 10 uF bulk caps on each rail. Power sequencing should ramp VCC before VCCPD to prevent I/O latch-up per the Arria II GX Device Handbook.
The 780-FBGA package exposes a thermal pad that MUST be soldered to a continuous ground plane with thermal vias (recommend 9 to 16 vias in a 1.0 mm grid, 0.3 mm drill). Estimated: at 100% logic utilization with 6 active transceivers at 5 Gbps, total power dissipation approaches 8 to 10 W, requiring theta_JA below 10 C/W. Without proper thermal design, junction temperature can exceed the 85 C commercial limit within minutes of full operation.
For 780-FBGA routing use 0.4 mm ball pitch with microvia stack-up (e.g., 1-2-1 or 1-3-1). All transceiver channels require 100 ohm differential impedance (85 ohm for PCIe) over FR-4 with loss budgeting to keep attenuation below 6 dB at 3.125 GHz. Keep AC-coupling caps within 4 inches of the FPGA receiver pins; isolate REFCLK lines from data lanes to minimize crosstalk.
Common pitfalls with EP2AGX95EF29C6N designs include: (1) omitting MSEL pin resistors to select the configuration mode, (2) leaving JTAG TCK/TMS/TDO/TDI floating (always pull TMS high and TCK low through 10 kohm), (3) using non-PCIe-compliant reference clocks for PCIe Gen2 links (must meet the 100 ppm PCIe spec), and (4) under-budgeting the 0.9 V core current which can spike to 10 A during transceiver toggling.
Compliance Information
EP2AGX95EF29C6N uses leaded BGA balls and is NOT RoHS-compliant. For RoHS-compliant applications use EP2AGX95EF29C6G (Pb-free variant). Not AEC-Q100 qualified - this is a commercial-grade FPGA only.