EP2SGX30CF780C3N - Stratix II GX FPGA, 33880 Cells | Intel
MPN: EP2SGX30CF780C3N β End of Life| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $285 | $285.00 |
| 10 | $268 | $2,680.00 |
| 100 | $245 | $24,500.00 |
| 500 | $218 | $109,000.00 |
| 1,000 | $195 | $195,000.00 |
EP2SGX30CF780C3N Overview
An FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) is a semiconductor device whose logic fabric, interconnect, and I/O behavior are defined by a user-supplied configuration bitstream rather than by fixed mask layers. Within the broader taxonomy, FPGAs sit alongside microcontrollers, DSPs, and ASICs as programmable logic devices, and Stratix II GX represents Intel's mid-to-high density tier with built-in multi-gigabit transceivers, dedicated DSP blocks, and TriMatrix embedded memory. The 'GX' suffix denotes integrated serializer/deserializer (SERDES) channels, distinguishing this family from the non-transceiver Stratix II line.
The 33,880 logic elements are organized into 33,880 CLBs (configurable logic blocks) backed by approximately 1.4 Mbits of embedded RAM distributed across TriMatrix memory structures, and the device integrates dedicated 18-bit x 18-bit multipliers for DSP operations. The integrated transceiver block supports multiple serial protocols, eliminating external PHY chips in many designs and reducing both board area and bill of materials cost.
The 780-ball fine-pitch BGA package exposes roughly 600 user I/O pins, supporting LVDS, LVTTL, LVCMOS, SSTL, and HSTL I/O standards with on-chip termination. Configuration is supported via passive serial (PS), fast passive parallel (FPP), and JTAG modes, with optional configuration via EPC serial configuration devices. Designers using the Quartus II design software can target this device with either VHDL or Verilog HDL and benefit from the mature IP library that has shipped with the Quartus toolchain since the early 2000s.
Typical applications include 3G/4G wireless baseband processing, high-speed serial backplane switching, broadcast video processing, and military radar signal chains. The combination of logic density and embedded transceivers makes the EP2SGX30CF780C3N particularly well-suited to line cards that aggregate multiple SFP/SFP+ or SERDES links while performing protocol bridging or packet classification. Compared with newer Cyclone V or Arria 10 FPGAs, the Stratix II GX family is fabricated on a 90 nm process and consumes noticeably more static power, so most new designs now favor the Stratix V or Stratix 10 families instead.
When designing with the EP2SGX30CF780C3N, verify that the Quartus II version in use supports the device family (Quartus II 9.1 or earlier) and provide adequate thermal relief for the 780-ball FC-FBGA, since high transceiver utilization can push junction temperatures into the 100 C range without airflow. This page consolidates distributor pricing, drop-in alternatives within the Stratix II GX family, and practical design notes not found in the manufacturer datasheet alone.
Drop-in alternatives for EP2SGX30CF780C3N 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 EP2SGX30CF780C3N (same form factor and footprint) β differing in Package, Operating Temperature, Speed Grade, RoHS Status, Transceivers.
Quick Comparison Tool β Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP2SGX30CF780C3
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$175.5 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP2SGX30DF780I4N
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$171 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP2SGX30CF780C3N Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Series | Stratix II GX |
| Number of Logic Elements | 33,880 |
| Number of CLBs | 33,880 |
| Maximum Operating Frequency | 717 MHz |
| Process Technology | 90 nm CMOS |
| Core Voltage | 1.2 V |
| Number of Pins | 780 |
| Package Type | 780-BGA (FC-FBGA) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| Operating Temperature | 0C to +85C (commercial) |
| Embedded Memory | TriMatrix (M512/M4K/M-RAM blocks) |
| Total Embedded RAM | ~1.4 Mbit |
| DSP Blocks | 18-bit x 18-bit dedicated multipliers |
| Configuration Modes | PS, FPP, JTAG |
EP2SGX30CF780C3N 780-bga (fc-fbga) Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EP2SGX30CF780C3N (780-bga (fc-fbga) 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 EP2SGX30CF780C3N.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EP2SGX30CF780C3N is suitable for 7 applications: Wireless Baseband Processing, High-Speed Serial Backplane Aggregation, Broadcast Video Processing, Military Radar Signal Processing, Storage Area Network Controllers, Industrial Protocol Bridging, Test and Measurement Instrumentation.
Wireless Baseband Processing
The EP2SGX30CF780C3N's 33,880 logic elements combined with integrated multi-gigabit transceivers (up to 6.375 Gbps) and dedicated 18-bit x 18-bit DSP multipliers make it well suited to 3G/4G wireless baseband line cards. Engineers typically instantiate CPRI or OBSAI fronthaul links over the hardened SERDES channels while running chip-rate or symbol-rate DSP on the TriMatrix memory blocks. Compared with newer Cyclone V or Arria 10 parts, the Stratix II GX consumes higher static power but offers a mature Quartus II IP library and proven in-the-field reliability.
Recommended
High-Speed Serial Backplane Aggregation
The integrated SERDES channels let the EP2SGX30CF780C3N aggregate multiple SFP/SFP+ or backplane SERDES links without external PHY chips, simplifying PCB layout and reducing bill of materials. With up to 12 transceivers and 600 user I/O pins, the device can bridge multiple XAUI or Serial RapidIO ports to a switching ASIC on the same line card. Power dissipation at full transceiver utilization can exceed 10 W, so designers must allocate adequate copper pour under the 780-BGA for thermal relief.
Recommended
Broadcast Video Processing
Broadcast video pipelines (SD-SDI, HD-SDI, 3G-SDI) require deterministic, low-jitter signal processing and high memory bandwidth for frame buffering, both of which the EP2SGX30CF780C3N delivers through its DSP blocks and TriMatrix memory. The 33,880 logic cells are sufficient for color-space conversion, scaling, and overlay composition at 1080p60. The 780-BGA FC-FBGA package supports LVDS and HSTL I/O standards commonly required by professional video serializers and deserializers.
Recommended
Military Radar Signal Processing
Radar and electronic-warfare systems rely on high-throughput DSP for matched filtering, FFTs, and pulse compression, all of which map efficiently onto the EP2SGX30CF780C3N's dedicated 18-bit multipliers and TriMatrix memory blocks. The industrial-temperature EP2SGX30DF780I4N variant in the same 780-BGA footprint supports the -40C to +100C range typically required by MIL-STD-810 environments. Military programs increasingly migrate to newer families, but many fielded systems continue to use Stratix II GX for spare-part and sustainment reasons.
Recommended
Storage Area Network Controllers
The EP2SGX30CF780C3N's SERDES channels support Fibre Channel and Serial ATA initiator/target protocols, while its 33,880 logic cells implement RAID engines, encryption accelerators, and T10 DIF/DIX checksum logic. With roughly 1.4 Mbit of embedded RAM and dedicated multipliers, the device handles XOR parity calculation for RAID-6 with low external memory pressure. FC-SB and iSCSI offload engines were common reference designs on this part.
Recommended
Industrial Protocol Bridging
Industrial automation systems use FPGAs to bridge PROFINET, EtherCAT, and SERCOS III industrial Ethernet protocols while performing real-time motion-control math. The EP2SGX30CF780C3N supports deterministic latency through Quartus II TimeQuest timing analysis and provides the SERDES bandwidth needed for multi-port industrial Ethernet switches. The 780-BGA package is best suited to industrial line cards with adequate airflow; for compact form factors, the smaller 484-BGA Stratix II variants may be preferable.
Recommended
Test and Measurement Instrumentation
High-end oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and protocol analyzers use the EP2SGX30CF780C3N for waveform capture, pattern generation, and protocol triggering because of its mix of SERDES channels, DSP blocks, and abundant user I/O. The 780-BGA FC-FBGA package exposes enough LVDS pairs for high-speed parallel digitizer interfaces while the transceivers handle serialized display-port or USB-3 vision links. Quartus II IP cores for PCIe Gen1, XAUI, and Serial RapidIO accelerate test-equipment design.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP2SGX30CF780C3N β comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP2SGX30CF780C3 | EP2SGX30DF780I4N |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Intel (formerly Altera) | Intel (formerly Altera) | Intel (formerly Altera) |
| Package | 780-BGA (FC-FBGA) | 780-BGA (FC-FBGA) - same | 780-BGA (FC-FBGA) - same |
| Logic Cells | 33,880 | 33,880 | 33,880 |
| Family | Stratix II GX | Stratix II GX | Stratix II GX |
| Speed Grade | C3 (commercial, fast) | C3 | I4 (industrial, slower) |
| Operating Temperature | 0C to +85C (commercial) | 0C to +85C (commercial) | -40C to +100C (industrial) |
| Lead Finish / RoHS | Lead-free (N suffix) | Lead-based (non-RoHS) | Lead-free (N suffix) |
| Core Voltage | 1.2 V | 1.2 V | 1.2 V |
| Max Frequency | 717 MHz | 717 MHz | ~600 MHz (estimated from I4 grade) |
| Lifecycle Status | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete |
Key Differentiators
- Higher-speed C3 grade versus I4 industrial grade (vs EP2SGX30DF780I4N)
- Lead-free (RoHS-compliant) finish for new designs (vs EP2SGX30CF780C3)
- Same die, lower risk for in-family redesign (vs EP2S130F1508I4N)
Design Notes
Estimated: at full transceiver utilization (12 channels at 6.375 Gbps) the EP2SGX30CF780C3N dissipates roughly 10-12 W. With the 780-ball FC-FBGA package's typical theta_JA of approximately 12-15 C/W (4-layer JEDEC test board, no airflow), junction temperature rises 120-180 C above ambient. Mandatory thermal relief includes a continuous ground plane directly under the BGA and, in most deployments, 200 LFM of forced airflow. Industrial-temperature variants like EP2SGX30DF780I4N may reduce guard-band margin further.
The 780-ball FC-FBGA has a 1.0 mm ball pitch (typical for Stratix II GX) and requires a 4-6 layer PCB with 0.5 oz copper on outer layers and 1 oz copper on inner power planes. Microvia (laser-drilled) stack-up is preferred over through-via to maintain signal integrity on SERDES channels; each SERDES pair requires 100 ohm differential impedance with skew under 1 ps. Decoupling: at least 22 low-ESL capacitors (0.1 uF / 0402) directly under the BGA plus bulk 22 uF / 100 uF tantalums for VTT/VCCIO rails.
Two common pitfalls with legacy Stratix II GX designs: (1) Quartus II 10.0 and later do NOT support the Stratix II device family, so programmers must retain Quartus II 9.1 or earlier on a separate workstation; (2) the EP2SGX30CF780C3N (lead-based, non-N) is not RoHS compliant, and substituting the non-N variant into a RoHS-only reflow profile can cause head-in-pillow defects during lead-free assembly. Verify date codes and part-number suffixes carefully when receiving stock from brokers.
SERDES channels on Stratix II GX require careful length matching within 150 mils per pair and 600 mils across the transmit or receive group; use serpentine routing for fine adjustment. Reference clock lines must be length-matched within 50 mils and isolated from switching power supply traces with a ground-shielded via fence. JTAG and configuration pins (TCK, TMS, TDI, TDO, nCONFIG, nSTATUS, CONF_DONE) should be brought out to a header for in-system programming; pull-ups on nCONFIG (10 kohm) and pull-down on nCE are required by the configuration controller.
Compliance Information
Lead-free / RoHS-compliant inferred from 'N' suffix per Altera ordering information convention. Reach, halogen-free, and conflict-mineral status not stated in retrieved web snippets; full material declarations should be requested from Intel for compliance documentation.
