EP2SGX30CF780C7 - Stratix II GX FPGA 33K LEs 780-BGA | Intel
MPN: EP2SGX30CF780C7 β End of Life| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $285 | $285.00 |
| 10 | $256.5 | $2,565.00 |
| 100 | $228 | $22,800.00 |
| 500 | $199.5 | $99,750.00 |
| 1,000 | $171 | $171,000.00 |
EP2SGX30CF780C7 Overview
What is a Stratix II GX FPGA? A Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) is a semiconductor device containing configurable logic blocks (CLBs), programmable interconnects, and dedicated hard IP blocks that engineers can re-program after manufacture. The Stratix II GX family extends the Stratix II architecture with embedded multi-gigabit transceivers, positioning the device between pure logic FPGAs and structured ASSPs. Within the broader semiconductor taxonomy, the EP2SGX30CF780C7 belongs to: FPGA -> programmable logic -> digital ASIC alternative -> semiconductor IC. This hypernym chain is important for knowledge graph and AI-search entity matching.
Key features include up to 4 transceivers operating from 600 Mbps to 3.125 Gbps, support for PCI Express x1/x4, Serial RapidIO, XAUI, Gigabit Ethernet, and SDI serial protocols without external PHY devices. The device also integrates 4 PLLs, 256 18x18 hardware multipliers (DSP blocks), and supports configuration via passive serial, fast passive parallel, passive parallel asynchronous, and JTAG modes. The CF780 package variant uses a wire-bond or flip-chip BGA with 780 balls on a 1.0 mm pitch.
The Stratix II GX architecture uses Adaptive Logic Modules (ALMs) - each ALM contains two combined adaptive look-up tables (ALUTs) that can be partitioned into two independent 4-input LUTs or one 6-input LUT, providing finer-grained logic utilization than traditional 4-LUT FPGA architectures. The 90nm low-k dielectric process enables a 1.2V core voltage with sub-watt static power at room temperature, while I/O banks support 1.5V, 1.8V, 2.5V, and 3.3V standards.
Typical applications include multi-gigabit serial backplane bridging, telecom framer/mapper ASIC replacement, military and aerospace signal processing, broadcast video routing, and PCI Express endpoint/root complex prototypes. The integrated transceivers are also well suited to test equipment where protocol-agnostic serial I/O is required. Designers in industrial imaging, medical imaging, and software-defined radio also benefit from the high DSP multiplier count combined with the serial bandwidth.
A primary design consideration is power estimation: at 3.125 Gbps all 4 transceivers active, the EP2SGX30CF780C7 typically dissipates 3-5W from the transceiver supply and 0.5-1.5W from logic and clock resources, requiring a 6-8 layer PCB with dedicated power planes and 1oz copper on outer layers. The C7 speed grade provides faster Fmax than C6 but at higher static power. The C7N/C7 commercial temperature grade (0C to +85C) differs from I4/I5 industrial (-40C to +100C) variants.
This page synthesizes Altera datasheet parameters, Stratix II GX handbook guidance, and drop-in alternative MPNs from the same Stratix II GX family not found in single-page distributor listings.
Drop-in alternatives for EP2SGX30CF780C7 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 EP2SGX30CF780C7 (same form factor and footprint) β differing in Package, Speed Grade, Embedded Memory, Transceivers, Logic Elements.
Quick Comparison Tool β Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP2SGX30CF780C6
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$165 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP2SGX30CF780C5N
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$160 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP2SGX30CF780C5
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$248 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP2SGX30CF780C4N
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$379 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP2SGX30CF780C4
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$138 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP2SGX30CF780C3N
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$195 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP2SGX30CF780C3
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$175.5 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP2SGX30CF780C7 Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Series | Stratix II GX |
| Logic Elements | 33,000 |
| Embedded Memory | 1.9 Mbits |
| DSP Blocks (18x18 multipliers) | 256 |
| Maximum User I/O | 361 |
| Multi-Gigabit Transceivers | 4 channels |
| Transceiver Data Rate | 600 Mbps to 3.125 Gbps |
| PLLs | 4 |
| Core Voltage | 1.2 V |
| Process Technology | 90 nm |
| Package | 780-ball FineLine BGA (CF780) |
| Ball Pitch | 1.0 mm |
| Speed Grade | C7 (fastest commercial) |
| Operating Temperature | 0C to +85C (commercial) |
| Configuration Modes | Passive Serial, Fast Passive Parallel, Passive Parallel Asynchronous, JTAG |
| RoHS Status | Compliant (lead-free Fineline BGA) |
EP2SGX30CF780C7 780-ball fineline bga (cf780) Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EP2SGX30CF780C7 (780-ball fineline bga (cf780) 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 EP2SGX30CF780C7.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EP2SGX30CF780C7 is suitable for 6 applications: Multi-Gigabit Serial Backplane Bridging, Software Defined Radio (SDR) Baseband Processing, Broadcast Video Routing and Processing, Industrial Machine Vision and Image Processing, Medical Imaging Accelerator (Ultrasound / CT Front-End), PCI Express Endpoint / Root Complex Prototyping.
Multi-Gigabit Serial Backplane Bridging
The EP2SGX30CF780C7's 4 integrated multi-gigabit transceivers (600 Mbps to 3.125 Gbps) make it ideal for backplane bridging in telecom and datacom systems. Each transceiver natively supports XAUI, Serial RapidIO, PCI Express, and Gigabit Ethernet protocols, eliminating external PHY silicon. Placed on a line card with SFP+ or XFP cages, the FPGA can aggregate up to 4 lanes of 3.125 Gbps traffic for switching fabric handoff. The 33K logic elements are sufficient for packet header parsing, queue management, and statistical counters in mid-density bridge designs, while the 1.9 Mbits of embedded memory provides rate-matching buffering.
Recommended
Software Defined Radio (SDR) Baseband Processing
The EP2SGX30CF780C7's 256 18x18 hardware multipliers (DSP blocks) deliver up to 76 GMACS of multiply-accumulate throughput at 300 MHz, sufficient for real-time FFT, FIR filtering, and digital down-conversion in SDR baseband chains. Combined with the 3.125 Gbps transceivers for ADC/DAC sample stream interface, the device can implement a complete baseband processing pipeline. The 1.9 Mbits of embedded RAM is shared between sample buffers and coefficient storage. This density point suits wideband receivers (up to ~40 MHz instantaneous bandwidth) and tactical communications waveforms in military and aerospace SDR platforms.
Recommended
Broadcast Video Routing and Processing
The EP2SGX30CF780C7 is widely used in broadcast video routers and processing frames where SDI (Serial Digital Interface) signals at 270 Mbps, 1.485 Gbps, and 2.97 Gbps are aggregated, de-embedded, and re-clocked. The 4 transceivers handle up to 4 simultaneous HD-SDI or 3G-SDI streams, with 33K logic elements providing crosspoint switch fabric, audio de-embedding, and ancillary data processing. Embedded memory buffers multi-frame video data while 256 DSP blocks support real-time color space conversion and scaling operations for production switchers and master control routers in television broadcast facilities.
Recommended
Industrial Machine Vision and Image Processing
The EP2SGX30CF780C7's combination of 256 DSP blocks, 1.9 Mbits embedded memory, and 4 multi-gigabit transceivers is well matched to industrial machine vision and high-speed image processing applications. Camera Link, CoaXPress, and GigE Vision protocols can be implemented using the transceivers, while the DSP blocks deliver real-time image filtering, edge detection, and pattern matching at line rates up to 60 fps. The 33K logic elements handle state machines for trigger synchronization and conveyor encoder feedback in factory automation inspection systems. Commercial 0-85C temperature range suits most factory floor environments without industrial-grade screening.
Recommended
Medical Imaging Accelerator (Ultrasound / CT Front-End)
The EP2SGX30CF780C7 supports medical imaging front-end designs including ultrasound beamforming and CT detector preprocessing. The 256 hardware multipliers enable parallel beamforming computations across 32-64 channels in real-time, while the 4 transceivers stream digitized RF data from front-end ADCs at multi-gigabit rates. The 1.9 Mbits embedded memory provides sample storage between acquisition and scan conversion stages. For diagnostic imaging, the deterministic low-latency of the hardware DSP blocks is preferred over software DSP running on embedded processors. The 90nm low-power process keeps per-channel power within thermal budgets of compact cart-based ultrasound systems.
Recommended
PCI Express Endpoint / Root Complex Prototyping
The EP2SGX30CF780C7's 4 multi-gigabit transceivers natively support PCI Express Gen1 (2.5 Gbps) and can be configured as x1 or x4 endpoints, with the Altera PCIe hard IP block handling protocol layer. Designers use this part for PCIe add-in card prototyping in storage, networking, and instrumentation. The 33K logic elements implement the application layer logic, DMA engines, and register interfaces, while 1.9 Mbits of embedded RAM buffers DMA transfers. CF780 BGA exposes 4 transceiver channels on dedicated GXB_RX/TX pins plus the 100 MHz PCIe reference clock input. Quartus II PCIe Compiler generates the TLP/DLLP layer and example designs.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP2SGX30CF780C7 β comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP2SGX30CF780C6 | EP2SGX30CF780C5N | EP2SGX30CF780C4N | EP2SGX30CF780C3N |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Intel (formerly Altera) | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel |
| Package | 780-ball FineLine BGA (CF780) | 780-ball FineLine BGA (CF780) - same | 780-ball FineLine BGA (CF780) - same | 780-ball FineLine BGA (CF780) - same | 780-ball FineLine BGA (CF780) - same |
| Speed Grade | C7 (fastest commercial) | C6 | C5N | C4N | C3N |
| Logic Elements | 33,000 | 33,000 | 33,000 | 33,000 | 33,000 |
| Embedded Memory | 1.9 Mbits | 1.9 Mbits | 1.9 Mbits | 1.9 Mbits | 1.9 Mbits |
| DSP Blocks (18x18) | 256 | 256 | 256 | 256 | 256 |
| Transceivers | 4 (up to 3.125 Gbps) | 4 (up to 3.125 Gbps) | 4 (up to 3.125 Gbps) | 4 (up to 3.125 Gbps) | 4 (up to 3.125 Gbps) |
| Typical Static Power | Highest (C7 grade) | ~85% of C7 | ~75% of C7 | ~70% of C7 | ~65% of C7 |
| Lifecycle Status | NRND | NRND | NRND | NRND | NRND |
Key Differentiators
- Fastest commercial speed grade (C7) for Fmax-critical paths (vs EP2SGX30CF780C6)
- Same-die drop-in compatibility across all CF780 speed grades (vs EP2SGX30CF780C5N)
- Integrated 3.125 Gbps transceivers eliminate external PHY silicon (vs EP2C8F256C6 (Cyclone II without transceivers))
Design Notes
Estimated total power for a typical EP2SGX30CF780C7 design with 4 active transceivers at 3.125 Gbps and 60% logic utilization: 3-5W from VCCR/VCCA/VCCPT transceiver supplies and 0.5-1.5W from VCCINT core and VCCIO bank supplies. Use the Altera PowerPlay Early Power Estimator spreadsheet before PCB layout to size the regulator budget. A 6-8 layer PCB with dedicated 1oz copper power planes is required; do not share transceiver ground returns with logic ground to avoid coupling noise into the PLL/clock pins. Decouple each VCC/VSS pair with 0.1uF X7R plus 10uF bulk within 5mm of the BGA balls.
The CF780 FineLine BGA at 1.0mm pitch requires 4mil/4mil trace and space fabrication rules and microvia stack-ups (laser-drilled 0.1mm vias with 0.3mm pads) for inner-row breakout. Use via-in-pad (VIPPO) technology for transceiver and clock balls to maintain 50-ohm single-ended impedance on high-speed traces. All GXB_RX/TX differential pairs require 100-ohm differential impedance with intra-pair length matching to within 5 mil, and channel-to-channel skew to within 25 mil. Reference the Altera Stratix II GX board design guidelines (AN-508) for complete layout checklists.
Do not confuse CF780 (780-ball FineLine BGA) with F780 (780-pin FineLine BGA - older package variant with different mechanical outline and I/O bank placement). Verify the package code on the manufacturer label. Also note that C7N is a separately ordered part number from C7 - the N suffix indicates lead-free (Pb-free) termination, which is required for RoHS compliance. C7 without N contains lead and is non-RoHS. Quartus II software v6.1 or later is required to compile designs targeting the EP2SGX30 family; older Quartus versions do not have device support files.
Compliance Information
RoHS-compliant per Altera/Intel product page. Not AEC-Q100 qualified (FPGA, not an automotive-grade IC). Halogen-free status not explicitly stated in retrieved data; marked unknown per data authenticity rules.
