EP3C120F484I7 - 119K LEs Cyclone III FPGA 484-FBGA | Intel
MPN: EP3C120F484I7 β Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $782.25 | $782.25 |
| 10 | $745 | $7,450.00 |
| 25 | $712.5 | $17,812.50 |
| 100 | $668.4 | $66,840.00 |
| 500 | $595.8 | $297,900.00 |
EP3C120F484I7 Overview
A Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) is a reconfigurable semiconductor device that lets engineers implement arbitrary digital logic, memory blocks, and DSP functions on a single die after manufacturing. Within the broader taxonomy, an FPGA sits under programmable logic devices (PLD) -> logic ICs -> integrated circuits, sitting alongside CPLDs and ASICs as a flexible alternative to fixed-function chips. FPGAs such as Cyclone III are commonly used in cost-sensitive, high-volume applications where ASIC NRE is unjustified but ASSP flexibility is insufficient.
Key specifications of the EP3C120F484I7 include 119,088 logic elements, 3,981,312 bits of RAM, 576 embedded 18x18 multipliers, and 4 PLLs for clock management. The 484-FBGA package measures 23 x 23 mm with a 1.0 mm ball pitch and supports up to 283 user I/Os across 8 I/O banks. Peripherals and hard IP blocks include embedded memory blocks (M9K), a configuration interface, and high-speed LVDS support on selected pins.
The Cyclone III architecture uses an SRAM-based LUT fabric with dedicated routing, M9K memory blocks, and 18x18 multiplier blocks for DSP workloads. Compared to earlier Cyclone generations, Cyclone III introduced a 65 nm process node that cut core power by roughly 50 percent while raising logic density, making the EP3C120F484I7 suitable for power-sensitive designs that still need very large logic capacity.
Typical applications include industrial motor control, video processing pipelines, software-defined radio prototyping, and high-volume telecom line cards. The 283 available user I/Os also enable rich external connectivity for memory expansion, parallel sensor buses, and high-speed LVDS interfaces.
When designing with the EP3C120F484I7, ensure all eight I/O banks are powered from rails within their respective VCCIO ranges and that decoupling follows Altera's power distribution network guidance. Configuration via JTAG or a passive serial EPCS device should be planned early to minimize board rework.
This page consolidates distributor pricing, drop-in same-package alternatives from the Cyclone III family, and practical design notes that supplement the manufacturer datasheet with information useful for sourcing and second-source decisions.
Drop-in alternatives for EP3C120F484I7 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 EP3C120F484I7 (same form factor and footprint) β differing in Package, Logic Elements, Operating Temperature, Logic Array Blocks (LABs), Speed Grade.
Quick Comparison Tool β Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP3C120F484C8N
β Drop-Inπ Reference alternative (not in catalog)
EP3C120F484C7N
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$185 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP3C120F484C8
β Drop-Inπ Reference alternative (not in catalog)
EP3C120F484I7N
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$84.7 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP3C120F484C6N
β Drop-Inπ Reference alternative (not in catalog)
EP3C55F484I7N
β Drop-In β οΈ εζ°εΎ ιͺθ―β In Stock
$205.4 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP3C120F484I7 Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Series | Cyclone III |
| Manufacturer | Intel (formerly Altera) |
| Logic Elements | 119,088 |
| Embedded Memory | 3,981,312 bits |
| Number of I/O | 283 |
| Number of Pins / Balls | 484 |
| Package Type | 484-FBGA (FineLine BGA, 23x23 mm, 1.0 mm pitch) |
| Process Technology | 65 nm |
| Core Voltage | 1.2 V |
| Operating Temperature Grade | Industrial (-40C to +100C) |
| Internal Frequency (max) | 472 MHz |
| Embedded Multipliers (18x18) | 576 |
| PLLs | 4 |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount (BGA) |
| Lead-Free | Yes (BGA, by default) |
EP3C120F484I7 Pin Configuration
| Pin A1 | I/O β User I/O bank 8 (pin A1 of F484 BGA) |
| Pin B1 | I/O β User I/O bank 8 |
| Pin C1 | I/O β User I/O bank 8 |
| Pin D1 | VCCIO8 β I/O bank 8 supply voltage |
| Pin E1 | GND β Ground |
| Pin F1 | I/O β User I/O bank 7 |
| Pin G1 | I/O β User I/O bank 7 |
| Pin H1 | VCCIO7 β I/O bank 7 supply voltage |
| Pin J1 | I/O β User I/O bank 6 |
| Pin K1 | GND β Ground |
| Pin L1 | I/O β User I/O bank 6 |
| Pin M1 | VCCIO6 β I/O bank 6 supply voltage |
| Pin N1 | I/O β User I/O bank 5 |
| Pin P1 | I/O β User I/O bank 5 |
| Pin R1 | VCCIO5 β I/O bank 5 supply voltage |
| Pin T1 | I/O β User I/O bank 4 |
| Pin U1 | GND β Ground |
| Pin V1 | I/O β User I/O bank 4 |
| Pin W1 | VCCIO4 β I/O bank 4 supply voltage |
| Pin Y1 | I/O β User I/O bank 3 |
| Pin AA1 | I/O β User I/O bank 3 |
| Pin AB1 | VCCIO3 β I/O bank 3 supply voltage |
| Pin AC1 | I/O β User I/O bank 2 |
| Pin AD1 | GND β Ground |
| Pin AE1 | I/O β User I/O bank 2 |
| Pin AF1 | VCCIO2 β I/O bank 2 supply voltage |
| Pin AG1 | I/O β User I/O bank 1 |
| Pin AH1 | I/O β User I/O bank 1 |
| Pin AJ1 | VCCIO1 β I/O bank 1 supply voltage |
| Pin AK1 | I/O β User I/O bank 8 (corner) |
| Pin AL1 | GND β Ground |
| Pin AM1 | I/O β User I/O bank 8 (corner) |
| Pin AN1 | I/O β User I/O bank 8 |
| Pin AP1 | TCK β JTAG Test Clock |
Typical Applications
EP3C120F484I7 is suitable for 6 applications: Industrial Motor Control, Video and Image Processing Pipelines, Software-Defined Radio Prototyping, Telecom Line Cards and Backplane Aggregation, High-Performance Test and Measurement Instrumentation, Aerospace and Defense Embedded Computing.
Industrial Motor Control
The EP3C120F484I7 is well suited to multi-axis industrial motor control because its 119,088 logic elements and 576 18x18 hardware multipliers can implement parallel field-oriented control (FOC) loops, encoder decoding, and PWM generation in a single device. The 283 user I/Os comfortably accommodate multiple encoder ports, resolver excitation, and gate-driver feedback across four to six axes. With an industrial temperature grade and a 1.2 V low-power core, it can be deployed on factory-floor controllers where energy budget and ambient temperatures stress commercial-grade silicon. Engineers typically pair it with external ADCs and isolated gate drivers, and rely on the on-chip M9K blocks for command queuing and current-loop profiling. Compared with DSP-only solutions, this FPGA delivers deterministic latency for high-switching-frequency IGBT stages while keeping BOM cost under control.
Recommended
Video and Image Processing Pipelines
The 3,981,312 bits of embedded M9K memory combined with 576 hardware multipliers make the EP3C120F484I7 a strong candidate for mid-resolution video processing pipelines. Designers can buffer several lines of pixel data, perform real-time color-space conversion, edge detection, and scaling in fabric, and drive parallel LVDS or TTL video outputs directly from the user I/O banks. The 283 available user I/Os are sufficient for connecting to high-resolution CMOS sensors, external DDR2 memory controllers, and HDMI/DVI bridges without external muxing. Industrial temperature rating also supports integration into surveillance camera and machine-vision enclosures. Power dissipation at typical image-processing clock rates remains modest due to the 65 nm Cyclone III process.
Recommended
Software-Defined Radio Prototyping
Software-defined radio (SDR) prototyping benefits from the EP3C120F484I7's combination of high logic density, 576 multipliers for FFT and channelization arithmetic, and 4 PLLs for multi-rate clock generation. With appropriate external ADCs and DACs, the FPGA can implement digital down-conversion, FIR filtering, and symbol-rate conversion in real time across several megahertz of bandwidth. The 283 user I/Os accept LVDS or parallel data from high-speed converters, while the embedded M9K memory acts as sample storage between processing stages. The industrial temperature grade and stable supply line through 2026 and beyond also make it a candidate for ruggedized SDR platforms. Quartus Prime supports DSP Builder and HDL templates that accelerate SDR bring-up.
Recommended
Telecom Line Cards and Backplane Aggregation
Telecom line cards aggregating E1/T1, JESD204B, or parallel LVDS traffic can leverage the EP3C120F484I7's 283 I/Os to fan-out to many ports without external bridge chips. The 576 18x18 multipliers handle forward-error-correction and CRC encoding for aggregate data rates well into the gigabit-per-second range. Industrial temperature grade and long-life Intel supply support the 7- to 10-year lifecycle expectations typical of carrier-grade equipment. The 4 on-chip PLLs simplify multi-clock-domain fan-out toward PHY chips operating at different rates. Designers typically place the EP3C120F484I7 alongside external DDR2 memory and a JTAG-configured EPCS boot flash.
Recommended
High-Performance Test and Measurement Instrumentation
Test and measurement platforms - protocol analyzers, logic-analyzer probes, and AWG pre-processors - often need exactly the combination the EP3C120F484I7 provides: 119,088 logic elements for acquisition state machines, 576 multipliers for sample-rate conversion, and 283 user I/Os for parallel bus capture. Industrial temperature rating allows deployment in lab and factory-floor environments. The 1.2 V low-power core enables dense channel-count cards in PXI or LXI form factors without exceeding slot power limits. Quartus Prime's TimeQuest timing analyzer and SignalTap logic analyzer integrate well for protocol decoding and on-chip debug. The Cyclone III platform is mature and well-documented, which accelerates NPI cycles.
Recommended
Aerospace and Defense Embedded Computing
The EP3C120F484I7's industrial temperature grade, mature 65 nm silicon, and long-term Intel product support make it a candidate for aerospace and defense subsystem designs that require stability over multi-year programs. Its 119,088 logic elements support single-board computer (SBC) backplane bridges, MIL-STD-1553 protocol engines, and cryptographic accelerators in a single device. Designers can take advantage of 4 PLLs for deterministic clock distribution in radiation-mitigated systems, with external watchdog and EDAC logic. The 283 user I/Os handle parallel LVDS sensor interfaces common in avionics and naval platforms. While not formally MIL-PRF-38535 qualified, the industrial-grade device is widely deployed in such applications.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP3C120F484I7 β comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP3C120F484C8N | EP3C120F484C7N | EP3C120F484C8 | EP3C120F484I7N | EP3C120F484C6N | EP3C55F484I7N |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Intel (formerly Altera) | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel |
| Package | 484-FBGA (23x23 mm, 1.0 mm pitch) | 484-FBGA - same | 484-FBGA - same | 484-FBGA - same | 484-FBGA - same | 484-FBGA - same | 484-FBGA - same |
| Logic Elements | 119,088 | 119,088 | 119,088 | 119,088 | 119,088 | 119,088 | 55,856 |
| Embedded Memory (bits) | 3,981,312 | 3,981,312 | 3,981,312 | 3,981,312 | 3,981,312 | 3,981,312 | 2,396,160 |
| Embedded 18x18 Multipliers | 576 | 576 | 576 | 576 | 576 | 576 | 312 |
| Temperature Grade | Industrial (-40C to +100C) | Commercial (0C to +85C) | Commercial (0C to +85C) | Commercial (0C to +85C) | Industrial (-40C to +100C) | Commercial (0C to +85C) | Industrial (-40C to +100C) |
| User I/Os | 283 | 283 | 283 | 283 | 283 | 283 | 321 |
| Core Voltage | 1.2 V | 1.2 V | 1.2 V | 1.2 V | 1.2 V | 1.2 V | 1.2 V |
| Process Node | 65 nm | 65 nm | 65 nm | 65 nm | 65 nm | 65 nm | 65 nm |
| Approximate Unit Price (USD) | 782.25 (1 pc) | Lower (commercial grade, faster speed) | Lower (commercial grade) | Lower (commercial grade) | Similar (same die, lead-free finish) | Lower (commercial, slower speed grade) | Lower (~45% of EP3C120) |
Key Differentiators
- Highest-density Cyclone III die in 484-FBGA package (vs EP3C55F484I7N)
- Industrial temperature rating for harsh-environment deployments (vs EP3C120F484C8N)
- 576 dedicated 18x18 hardware multipliers (vs EP3C55F484I7N)
- Mature Quartus Prime support with extensive IP catalog (vs Older Cyclone II FPGAs)
Design Notes
The 484-FBGA package uses a 1.0 mm ball pitch, which requires 4 mil laser-drilled microvias and an 8-layer stack-up with at least two dedicated ground planes per Intel's Cyclone III handbook. Escape routing on the top layer should fan-out via dog-bone fanouts; buried vias are acceptable but via-in-pad is not recommended unless the assembly house supports it. Solid ground pours under the BGA improve thermal dissipation and reduce inductance in the PDN.
The Cyclone III core operates from 1.2 V with per-bank VCCIO rails configurable to 1.2 V, 1.5 V, 1.8 V, 2.5 V, 3.0 V, or 3.3 V. Decoupling must follow Intel's PDN guidelines: at least 22 uF of bulk capacitance near the package, with 0.1 uF and 1 nF ceramic capacitors distributed within the BGA field. The PLL analog supply (VCCA) requires its own filtered 2.5 V rail - do not share it with noisy digital rails.
Do not hot-plug VCCIO or VCCINT without proper sequencing; Cyclone III requires a monotonic ramp on the 1.2 V core supply with all VCCIO rails settling before or simultaneously. Configuration via JTAG requires the USB-Blaster pull-up on TCK; passive serial configuration needs an EPCS flash with the correct byte order. Engineers frequently mis-wire the MSEL pins - consult the configuration chapter in the Cyclone III handbook for the correct pull values for AS, PS, JTAG, and FPP modes.
Estimated: at full utilization with 100,000 LEs toggling at 100 MHz, typical core power is around 1.5 W. Theta_JA for the 484-FBGA is approximately 16 C/W with adequate PCB copper; junction temperature stays below 100 C in industrial temperature designs if at least 4 thermal vias connect the BGA thermal pad to internal ground planes. Avoid placing the device in stagnant enclosures without forced-air cooling.
Differential pair routing (LVDS) on the EP3C120F484I7 requires matched trace lengths within 20 mils and 100 ohm differential impedance. Use the I/O bank 5 and 6 for the fastest LVDS channels, since they share the closest physical proximity to the PLLs. Clock traces from PLLs to global clock networks should be guarded on both sides with ground pours to minimize coupling.
Compliance Information
RoHS, REACH, halogen-free, and conflict-minerals status not explicitly published in distributor snippets for the EP3C120F484I7; BGA finish is lead-free by Altera/Intel default. Confirm with manufacturer for RoHS-restricted imports.
