EP2SGX30CF780C5N - Stratix II GX FPGA, 30K LE, FBGA-780 | Intel
MPN: EP2SGX30CF780C5N β Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $285 | $285.00 |
| 10 | $255 | $2,550.00 |
| 100 | $220 | $22,000.00 |
| 500 | $185 | $92,500.00 |
| 1,000 | $160 | $160,000.00 |
EP2SGX30CF780C5N Overview
An FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) is a reprogrammable semiconductor device that combines configurable logic blocks (CLBs/LABs), dedicated DSP blocks, on-chip memory, and programmable I/O structures on a single die. Within the broader semiconductor hierarchy, FPGAs sit between general-purpose CPUs/GPUs (which execute software) and application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), offering hardware-level parallelism with the flexibility to be reconfigured in-system. The Stratix II GX family extends the base Stratix II logic fabric with embedded multi-gigabit transceivers (MGTs), making it well suited for high-speed serial I/O.
Key features of the EP2SGX30CF780C5N include up to 12 transceiver channels capable of multi-gigabit serial rates, on-chip TriMatrix memory totalling ~1.4 Mbit, embedded DSP blocks for high-throughput multiply-accumulate operations, and a 29 x 29 mm FBGA-780 footprint with 1.0 mm ball pitch. The device supports configuration via JTAG, passive/active serial, and passive/active parallel modes through the dedicated MSEL and nCONFIG pins.
Architecturally, Stratix II GX combines an adaptive logic module (ALM) fabric with high-speed transceivers and dedicated PLL/clock networks. Compared to discrete logic + serializer implementations, this integration reduces board area, simplifies signal integrity at multi-Gbps rates, and allows the same die to be deployed across multiple product variants by changing only configuration data.
Typical applications include 3G/4G wireless baseband processing, high-speed serial protocol bridging (PCI Express, Serial RapidIO, Gigabit Ethernet, XAUI), high-performance digital signal processing (radar, software defined radio), broadcast video processing, and high-speed data acquisition systems. The 361 user I/Os also support LVDS, LVTTL, and SSTL interfacing to external memories such as DDR/DDR2 SDRAM.
When designing with this device, plan power sequencing around the 1.2 V core supply and the separate transceiver supply rails, and follow Intel's Stratix II GX pin connection guidelines to ensure unused I/O and transceiver pins are biased correctly. Engineers should also budget for the higher static power typical of 90 nm FPGAs and provide sufficient PCB cooling for sustained high-utilisation workloads.
This page synthesises distributor availability, drop-in alternatives from the same Stratix II GX family, and practical design considerations not always explicit in the manufacturer datasheet, helping engineers select, source, and deploy the EP2SGX30CF780C5N with confidence.
Drop-in alternatives for EP2SGX30CF780C5N 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 EP2SGX30CF780C5N (same form factor and footprint) β differing in Package, Speed Grade, Operating Temperature, RoHS Status, Transceivers.
Quick Comparison Tool β Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP2SGX30CF780C5
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View Datasheet βEP2SGX30CF780C5N Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Manufacturer | Intel (formerly Altera) |
| Family | Stratix II GX |
| Logic Elements | 30,560 (33,880 logic cells) |
| LABs/CLBs | 1694 |
| Total RAM Bits | 1,369,728 bits |
| Number of I/Os | 361 |
| Core Voltage | 1.2 V |
| Operating Frequency (max) | 609.76 MHz |
| Speed Grade | C5 (-5 internal speed bin) |
| Process Technology | 90 nm CMOS |
| Package | FBGA-780 (29 x 29 mm, 1.0 mm pitch) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| Lead-Free | Yes (per datasheet) |
| JEDEC Package Outline | MS-034AAM-1 |
| RoHS Status | Compliant (per Intel product page) |
EP2SGX30CF780C5N ms-034aam-1 Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EP2SGX30CF780C5N (ms-034aam-1 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 EP2SGX30CF780C5N.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EP2SGX30CF780C5N is suitable for 7 applications: Wireless Baseband Processing, High-Speed Serial Protocol Bridging, Software Defined Radio (SDR), Broadcast Video Processing, High-Speed Data Acquisition, Industrial Control and Automation, Aerospace / Defence Signal Processing.
Wireless Baseband Processing
The EP2SGX30CF780C5N is well suited to 3G/4G wireless baseband and digital front-end designs because its 33,880 logic cells plus embedded DSP blocks deliver the throughput required for channelisation, crest-factor reduction (CFR), and digital pre-distortion (DPD). The integrated multi-gigabit transceivers carry antenna data between baseband and RF front-end cards at multi-Gbps serial rates, eliminating external SERDES. With 1.37 Mbit of on-chip TriMatrix memory and 361 user I/Os, the device supports complex IQ buffering and parallel interfacing to DSP coprocessors or DACs/ADCs while operating from a 1.2 V core. The -5 speed grade keeps internal logic clocks above 600 MHz, which is critical for high-sample-rate baseband chains.
Recommended
High-Speed Serial Protocol Bridging
For protocol bridging applications (PCI Express to Serial RapidIO, XAUI to Gigabit Ethernet, CEI-6G to custom SERDES), the EP2SGX30CF780C5N offers up to 12 multi-gigabit transceiver channels supporting rates up to 6.375 Gbps with onβchip 8B/10B, scrambling, and clock-data recovery. The 30K logic element budget is sufficient for full protocol stacks, including transaction layer, data link layer, and PHY adaptation, plus buffer management using the 1.37 Mbit embedded memory. The FBGA-780 footprint provides ample high-speed I/O for parallel LVDS interfaces to companion memory or coprocessors, while the 1.2 V core supply keeps power budget predictable for line-card deployments.
Recommended
Software Defined Radio (SDR)
In software-defined radio platforms, the EP2SGX30CF780C5N provides the parallel DSP horsepower needed for wideband digital down-conversion, channelisation (polyphase filter banks), and real-time modulation/demodulation across multiple channels. The DSP blocks deliver high-throughput multiply-accumulate operations, and the 1.37 Mbit distributed memory supports overlapping FFT windows without external SRAM round-trips. Multi-gigabit transceivers connect the FPGA to high-speed ADC/DAC pairs such as the ADX-1X series, while the 361 LVDS-capable user I/Os accept parallel data from RF digitiser front-ends. The -5 speed grade keeps arithmetic logic and FFT butterfly operations comfortably within timing closure at 200+ MHz.
Recommended
Broadcast Video Processing
For broadcast studio and contribution feed equipment, the EP2SGX30CF780C5N handles SD/HD/3G-SDI signal aggregation, colour-space conversion, frame-rate conversion, and on-screen graphics overlay. The 361 user I/Os connect directly to multiple BNC equaliser/receiver chains, while 1.37 Mbit of embedded memory acts as line and frame buffers to support scaling and deinterlacing. Multi-gigabit transceivers are configured as SDI or SMPTE 2022 video-over-IP links, enabling a single chip to ingest several streams and produce compressed or transcoded output. The mature Quartus II toolchain provides reference designs that shorten development time for new broadcast product variants.
Recommended
High-Speed Data Acquisition
In test and measurement or industrial data acquisition systems, the EP2SGX30CF780C5N serves as the central timing, trigger, and pre-processing engine. Its multi-gigabit transceivers accept LVDS- or SERDES-formatted ADC data at multi-Gbps rates, while the 30K logic elements implement digital filtering, peak detection, and time-stamping. The 361 user I/Os provide parallel connections to front-panel displays, control logic, and auxiliary sensors. Engineers can also use embedded TriMatrix memory as circular acquisition buffers, reducing external SRAM needs for short captures. The -5 speed grade enables deterministic timing for synchronised multi-channel sampling.
Recommended
Industrial Control and Automation
Industrial controllers using the EP2SGX30CF780C5N benefit from 361 robust LVDS/LVTTL/SSTL I/Os for direct interfacing to motor drivers, encoders, and ruggedised sensor arrays. The 33,880 logic cells host deterministic real-time control loops, while 1.37 Mbit of embedded memory supports lookup tables for field-oriented control and power-conversion switching patterns. Multi-gigabit transceivers are configured for EtherCAT, PROFINET IRT, or SERCOS III industrial Ethernet, providing deterministic sub-microsecond cycle times. The FBGA-780 footprint allows dense PCB integration with high-availability memory subsystems.
Recommended
Aerospace / Defence Signal Processing
Aerospace and defence platforms use the EP2SGX30CF780C5N for radar front-end processing, electronic countermeasure (ECM) generation, and secure high-speed data links. The 12 multi-gigabit transceiver channels support radar digitiser links and encrypted serial backplanes, while the 30K logic element budget hosts pulse compression, moving target indication (MTI), and CFAR detection algorithms. The 1.37 Mbit embedded memory serves as range-Doppler maps and interference tables. Designers pair the FPGA with DDR2 SDRAM via the 361 I/Os, taking advantage of the -5 speed grade to close timing on the wide external memory bus at full throughput.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP2SGX30CF780C5N β comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP2SGX30CF780C5 | EP2SGX30CF780C4N | EP2SGX30CF780C4 | EP2SGX30CF780C3N | EP2SGX30CF780C3 | EP2SGX30CF780C3NGB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Package | FBGA-780 | FBGA-780 - same | FBGA-780 - same | FBGA-780 - same | FBGA-780 - same | FBGA-780 - same | FBGA-780 - same |
| Brand | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel |
| Speed Grade | C5 (-5) | C5 (-5) | C4 (-4) | C4 (-4) | C3 (-3) | C3 (-3) | C3 (-3) |
| Lead-Free / RoHS | Yes (N suffix) | No (SnPb) | Yes (N suffix) | No (SnPb) | Yes (N suffix) | No (SnPb) | Yes (N suffix) |
| Logic Elements | 30,560 (~33,880 cells) | 30,560 (same die) | 30,560 (same die) | 30,560 (same die) | 30,560 (same die) | 30,560 (same die) | 30,560 (same die) |
| Total RAM Bits | 1,369,728 | 1,369,728 | 1,369,728 | 1,369,728 | 1,369,728 | 1,369,728 | 1,369,728 |
| User I/Os | 361 | 361 | 361 | 361 | 361 | 361 | 361 |
| Core Voltage | 1.2 V | 1.2 V | 1.2 V | 1.2 V | 1.2 V | 1.2 V | 1.2 V |
| Multi-Gigabit Transceivers | Up to 12 (MGT, up to 6.375 Gbps) | Up to 12 MGT (same die) | Up to 12 MGT (same die) | Up to 12 MGT (same die) | Up to 12 MGT (same die) | Up to 12 MGT (same die) | Up to 12 MGT (same die) |
Key Differentiators
- Fastest speed grade in the Stratix II GX 30K family (vs EP2SGX30CF780C4N)
- Multi-gigabit transceivers integrated on-die (vs EP2S30F672C5N)
- Lead-free / RoHS compliant ball finish (vs EP2SGX30CF780C5)
Design Notes
Estimated: with all 12 transceivers active at 6.375 Gbps and the core at ~70% utilisation, total power can exceed 20 W. Decouple each VCCINT/VCCPD/VCCAUX rail with bulk 330 uF plus 0.1 uF/10 nF ceramics placed within 5 mm of each ball, and follow the Stratix II GX PowerPlay ES tool output for exact rail sizing. Plan a 1.2 V core buck converter rated for at least 1.3x the steady-state current to handle in-rush during configuration.
Use a high-layer-count PCB (>=10 layers) with stripline routing for the multi-gigabit transceiver channels. Each MGT lane requires matched 100-ohm differential routing with length matching of better than 150 um and no more than two vias per side. Place the FBGA-780 escape vias on the top side, and follow Intel's pin connection guidelines to tie unused MGT balls to the correct supply/ground state.
Do not leave unused multi-gigabit transceiver balls floating - they must be biased per the Stratix II GX Device Handbook to avoid leakage and noise coupling. Configuration mode pins (MSEL[2:0]) must be set before power-up; incorrect MSEL state is the most common cause of JTAG-only configuration failure. Ensure the CONF_DONE and nSTATUS pins have pull-ups as specified in the datasheet.
Estimated: at 20 W total power and a typical FBGA-780 junction-to-ambient theta_JA of ~10 C/W with adequate airflow, the junction can rise 60 C above ambient at room temperature. Provide a heatsink or 1+ m/s airflow for sustained high-utilisation workloads. Use the on-die temperature sensing diode and PowerPlay Early Power Estimator to validate thermal margins across operating corners.
DDR/DDR2 memory interfaces require read/write deskew calibration via the ALTMEMPHY megafunction in Quartus II. Use the ALT_IOBUF and ALT_DDR pin assignments exactly as listed in the Stratix II GX pin-out file; non-compliance forces lengthy recompilation and timing closure failure. Keep PLL analog supply pins (VCCA_PLL, VCCD_PLL) isolated with their own ferrite bead and decoupling network.
Compliance Information
RoHS compliance indicated by N suffix and Intel product page. AEC-Q100 not applicable for FPGAs (industrial/commercial/extended temp grades only). REACH / halogen / conflict-minerals declarations should be requested from Intel directly as they were not in the provided web data.