EP2SGX60CF780C3 - Stratix II GX FPGA, 60K LE, 780-BGA | Intel
MPN: EP2SGX60CF780C3 ✗ End of Life| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1280 | $1,280.00 |
| 10 | $1195 | $11,950.00 |
| 100 | $1090 | $109,000.00 |
| 500 | $985 | $492,500.00 |
| 1,000 | $870 | $870,000.00 |
EP2SGX60CF780C3 Overview
A Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) is a reconfigurable semiconductor whose logic fabric, block RAM, DSP blocks, and I/O serdes are all programmable after manufacture. FPGAs sit alongside microcontrollers and ASICs in the programmable logic hierarchy, but unlike microcontrollers they offer fully parallel data paths and deterministic latency; unlike ASICs they require no mask set and ship in days rather than months. Within the Stratix II GX family, the SGX60 tier adds multi-gigabit transceivers (up to 6.375 Gbps) for protocols such as PCIe, Serial RapidIO, and custom SERDES links.
Key features of the EP2SGX60CF780C3 include 60,440 logic elements, 2,544,192 bits of on-chip RAM (approximately 317 KB), 364 user I/Os, and a 780-ball FineLine BGA package at 29 mm x 29 mm body size with 1 mm ball pitch. The part is offered in the commercial speed grade C3 and supports operating junction temperatures in the commercial range. Stratix II GX devices also embed hard IP for PCI Express x1/x4 and external memory interfaces including DDR2 SDRAM and QDR II SRAM controllers.
The architecture combines 4-input ALMs (Adaptive Logic Modules) replacing the older 4-input LUT, with column-and-row routing using MultiTrack interconnect, and dedicated multiplier blocks, all clocked by up to 12 PLLs. Internal performance supports frequencies up to the device's Fmax rating as published in the datasheet speed-grade tables. The 780-FBGA footprint is shared with other Stratix II GX density points, allowing a single PCB layout to support density migration.
Typical applications include high-speed serial protocol bridging (PCIe, Serial RapidIO, XAUI, SDI video), telecommunications line cards, test and measurement equipment with parallel DSP pipelines, and prototyping for ASIC replacement. The transceivers make this part especially attractive for any system that previously required a separate PHY chip.
When designing with the EP2SGX60CF780C3, ensure adequate power decoupling near every bank and observe the Stratix II GX PowerPlay early-power-estimate flow before layout commit. Because the Stratix II GX family has been superseded by Stratix IV/V and the Intel Cyclone 10/Agilex families for new designs, this part is most commonly sourced for legacy maintenance and long-lifecycle programs.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, verified drop-in alternatives (same 780-FBGA footprint, same SGX60 die where applicable), and practical PCB/thermal design notes that go beyond the manufacturer datasheet's electrical tables.
Drop-in alternatives for EP2SGX60CF780C3 — 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 EP2SGX60CF780C3 (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Package, Speed Grade, Internal Frequency (max), Operating Temperature, Process Technology.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP2SGX60CF780C3N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$285 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2SGX60CF780C
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$285 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2SGX60CF780C4
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ 参数待验证✓ In Stock
$171 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2SGX60CF780C5
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ 参数待验证✓ In Stock
$162 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2SGX60CF780C3 Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | Stratix II GX |
| Device Type | FPGA - Field Programmable Gate Array |
| Logic Elements | 60,440 |
| Logic Array Blocks (LABs) | 3,022 |
| On-chip RAM Bits | 2,544,192 (~317 KB) |
| User I/Os | 364 |
| Transceivers | Up to 12 multi-gigabit transceivers (per family datasheet) |
| Transceiver Data Rate (max) | 6.375 Gbps (per Stratix II GX family datasheet) |
| Core Voltage | 1.2 V |
| Process Technology | 90 nm CMOS, SRAM-based |
| Speed Grade | C3 (commercial) |
| Package | 780-ball FineLine BGA (FBGA-780), 29 mm x 29 mm, 1.0 mm pitch |
| Operating Temperature | Commercial (0C to +85C junction) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount (BGA) |
EP2SGX60CF780C3 780-ball fineline bga (fbga-780), 29 mm x 29 mm, 1.0 mm pitch Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EP2SGX60CF780C3 (780-ball fineline bga (fbga-780), 29 mm x 29 mm, 1.0 mm pitch 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 EP2SGX60CF780C3.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EP2SGX60CF780C3 is suitable for 6 applications: PCIe Gen1/Gen2 Endpoint Card, Serial RapidIO Switch Fabric, Telecom Line Card with QDR-II Memory Controller, Test & Measurement Parallel DSP Front-End, HD-SDI / SDI Video Processing, ASIC Prototyping Platform.
PCIe Gen1/Gen2 Endpoint Card
The EP2SGX60CF780C3 fits PCIe Gen1/Gen2 endpoint designs because its Stratix II GX transceivers natively support 2.5 Gbps and 5.0 Gbps PCIe signaling, and the device includes hard PCIe IP blocks per the Stratix II GX handbook. With 60,440 logic elements and 2,544,192 RAM bits, the fabric comfortably absorbs a x4 PCIe endpoint plus DMA engine, scatter-gather logic, and protocol stack in a single chip. The 780-FBGA footprint gives 364 user I/Os for downstream local-bus or memory-mapped side channels. Place 100 nF and 10 uF decoupling on every VCCINT and VCCA ball pair, and route the refclk with controlled impedance per the PCIe CEM specification.
Recommended
Serial RapidIO Switch Fabric
The EP2SGX60CF780C3 suits Serial RapidIO (SRIO) switch and endpoint designs thanks to its multi-gigabit transceivers that support the SRIO 1x/4x physical layer at 1.25 Gbps, 2.5 Gbps, and 3.125 Gbps data rates per the Stratix II GX transceiver user guide. The 60K-logic-element fabric and 317 KB of block RAM provide the buffer and routing table resources needed for an 8-port SRIO switch without external memory. Designers can use the hard PCIe/SRIO IP cores in Quartus II to shorten time-to-prototype. The 780-FBGA package's 364 user I/Os leave headroom for parallel Fabric Interface ports to a host CPU.
Recommended
Telecom Line Card with QDR-II Memory Controller
The EP2SGX60CF780C3 is well matched to telecom line cards because its hard QDR II / DDR2 memory controllers and 60K-logic-element fabric can wire-terminate multiple OC-48/STM-16 channels while feeding packet-processing pipelines. Stratix II GX transceivers run the backplane SERDES at rates up to 6.375 Gbps per the family datasheet, supporting 10 GbE XAUI or custom backplane links. The 780-FBGA 1.0 mm pitch footprint allows dense board placement under BGA heatsinks. Use Stratix II GX PowerPlay early-power-estimate before layout commit to size the core and PLL rails correctly.
Recommended
Test & Measurement Parallel DSP Front-End
The EP2SGX60CF780C3 serves test-and-measurement front-ends because the 60K logic elements combined with dedicated multiplier blocks deliver parallel DSP throughput for FFT, FIR, and correlation pipelines that exceed microcontroller or DSP-processor alternatives. Stratix II GX transceivers stream digitized ADC samples into the FPGA at multi-gigabit rates while the 780-FBGA's 364 user I/Os fan out parallel LVDS channels to display, trigger, or auxiliary converter paths. The 2,544,192-bit on-chip RAM holds window tables and FFT twiddle factors without external memory contention. PowerDesigner-style power analysis is recommended because many T&M designs run at high duty cycle.
Recommended
HD-SDI / SDI Video Processing
The EP2SGX60CF780C3 handles HD-SDI and 3G-SDI video processing because Stratix II GX transceivers directly accept SMPTE 259M, 292M, and 424M serial data rates, and the fabric implements timing, de-embedding, and ancillary data parsing. The 60,440 logic elements and 364 user I/Os let a single FPGA drive multiple SDI inputs and outputs alongside parallel video buses for downstream conversion. The 780-FBGA package supports BGA-attached heatsinks for fanless broadcast chassis. Quartus II's SDI IP cores are bit-accurate and shorten bring-up for SMPTE 425M designs.
Recommended
ASIC Prototyping Platform
The EP2SGX60CF780C3 is widely deployed as an ASIC prototyping vehicle because 60K logic elements can map a meaningful slice of an ASIC RTL while the Stratix II GX transceivers stand in for the ASIC's SERDES macros at near-real-world data rates. The 780-FBGA 1.0 mm-pitch package combined with 364 user I/Os gives the prototype board enough break-out for ASIC test-bench stimulus. Multi-FPGA partitioning flows exist for designs that exceed 60K logic elements. The shared 780-FBGA footprint lets teams prototype on SGX60 and migrate to the SGX130 (EP2S130F1508C3) on a different board without re-targeting RTL.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP2SGX60CF780C3 — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP2SGX60CF780C3N | EP2SGX60CF780C | EP2SGX60CF780C4 | EP2SGX60CF780C5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Intel (formerly Altera) | Intel (formerly Altera) | Intel (formerly Altera) | Intel (formerly Altera) | Intel (formerly Altera) |
| Package | 780-FBGA (FineLine BGA, 29x29 mm, 1.0 mm pitch) | 780-FBGA - same | 780-FBGA - same | 780-FBGA - same | 780-FBGA - same |
| Logic Elements | 60,440 | 60,440 | 60,440 | 60,440 | 60,440 |
| Speed Grade | C3 (commercial, fastest) | C3 | C (base) | C4 | C5 (slowest) |
| Core Voltage | 1.2 V | 1.2 V | 1.2 V | 1.2 V | 1.2 V |
| User I/Os | 364 | 364 | 364 | 364 | 364 |
| On-chip RAM | 2,544,192 bits | 2,544,192 bits | 2,544,192 bits | 2,544,192 bits | 2,544,192 bits |
| Process / Die | 90 nm CMOS, SGX60 die | 90 nm CMOS, SGX60 die - same | 90 nm CMOS, SGX60 die - same | 90 nm CMOS, SGX60 die - same | 90 nm CMOS, SGX60 die - same |
Key Differentiators
- Pin-compatible lead-free variant preserves PCB layout while satisfying RoHS programs (vs EP2SGX60CF780C3N)
- C3 is the fastest speed grade in the SGX60 780-FBGA family (vs EP2SGX60CF780C5)
- 60,440 logic elements is mid-density within Stratix II GX (vs EP2SGX90F780C3)
Design Notes
Estimated: at typical Stratix II GX utilization (60-70% logic, moderate transceiver activity) the EP2SGX60CF780C3 draws roughly 6-10 W on VCCINT alone. Designers should use the Quartus II PowerPlay early-power-estimate flow before layout commit and provision at least 6 power planes (VCCINT, VCCA_PLL, VCCA_TX, VCCIO for each I/O bank group). Decoupling: 100 nF X7R on every VCCINT/VCCA pin pair and a single 10 uF bulk per rail, per the Stratix II GX device handbook.
The 780-FBGA package relies on BGA-attached heatsink or a top-side spreader for thermal relief because the package is bottom-terminated only. At the typical 8 W dissipation, a 1.0 mm pitch BGA plus thermal vias (4-6 vias per BGA pad in a 0.5 mm grid) under the die shadow is sufficient to keep theta_JA below 15 C/W with forced air. Without airflow, junction temperature can exceed the commercial 85 C limit on heavy transceiver workloads.
Route all Stratix II GX transceiver channels with controlled differential impedance of 100 ohm +/- 10% using a tight coupled microstrip or stripline geometry; trace length matching must hold within the tolerance specified in the transceiver user guide (typically within 150 mil for 3.125 Gbps). Reference planes must be unbroken beneath the transceiver ball rows, and AC-coupling capacitors (typically 100 nF X7R 0402) belong between the FPGA and the connector. Provide a 25 MHz or 125 MHz reference clock with jitter below the value tabulated in the device handbook.
Do not power up the EP2SGX60CF780C3 with VCCINT present but VCCA missing - latch-up is possible because the transceivers and PLLs are on a separate analog rail. Configuration mode (AS, PS, JTAG) must be selected via MSEL pins before power-on, not strapping during operation. Older Quartus II versions (< 9.1 SP2) generate incorrect pinout for SGX60; use a recent service pack to avoid bitstream failures on first bring-up.
Compliance Information
RoHS and lead-free status for the EP2SGX60CF780C3 was not present in the verified web data as of 2026-09-09 and is marked [DATA_NEEDED]; the N-suffix variant EP2SGX60CF780C3N is typically the lead-free option. AEC-Q100 is not applicable - this is a commercial FPGA. Conflict-minerals and halogen-free status also not present in the verified data.
