EP3C120F780C7N - 119K Logic Element Cyclone III FPGA | Intel / Altera
MPN: EP3C120F780C7N β Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $245 | $245.00 |
| 10 | $218.5 | $2,185.00 |
| 100 | $192 | $19,200.00 |
| 250 | $175.25 | $43,812.50 |
| 500 | $162 | $81,000.00 |
EP3C120F780C7N Overview
A field-programmable gate array (FPGA) is a type of programmable logic device (PLD) that lets designers implement arbitrary digital logic, memory blocks, and DSP functions by loading a configuration bitstream after PCB assembly. Within the broader semiconductor taxonomy, the EP3C120F780C7N sits inside the hierarchy programmable logic -> FPGA -> SRAM-based FPGA -> low-cost FPGA. Unlike ASICs, FPGAs can be reconfigured in the field, enabling rapid prototyping, late-stage design changes, and hardware reuse across product variants without respinning silicon.
Key features of the EP3C120F780C7N include up to 531 embedded 18x18 multipliers for DSP, 4 PLLs with multiple outputs, support for external memory interfaces including DDR, DDR2, and QDR II SRAM, and 8 phase-locked clock networks. The device exposes up to 429 user I/O pins depending on configuration scheme and supports hot-socketing, joint Test Action Group (JTAG) boundary-scan, and Active Serial / Fast Active Parallel configuration modes via the dedicated configuration pins. Cyclone III also introduced dedicated hard IP for PCIe Gen1 soft cores implemented in fabric.
Technically, the Cyclone III architecture uses 4-input look-up tables (LUT4) clustered into logic array blocks (LABs), with embedded M9K memory blocks that can be configured as RAM, ROM, or shift registers. The 65 nm process and 1.2 V core reduce dynamic power consumption versus the prior Cyclone II generation while increasing logic density roughly 4x. The device supports LVDS, LVCMOS, SSTL, and HSTL I/O standards and provides on-chip termination (OCT) for signal-integrity-critical interfaces.
Typical applications include industrial motor control and machine vision, automotive driver-assistance ADAS prototypes, video processing and broadcast equipment, software-defined radio (SDR) baseband, low-cost DSP front ends, and PCI Express endpoint cards. Designers select the EP3C120F780C7N when they need Stratix-class capacity at Cyclone-class pricing and power budgets.
When designing with this part, note that 780-pin FBGA requires high-density PCB routing with microvia stack-ups, the dedicated configuration pins (nCONFIG, nSTATUS, CONF_DONE, MSEL[3:0]) must be pulled correctly for the chosen configuration mode, and unused I/O banks must be powered and grounded per the datasheet to prevent floating inputs.
This page synthesizes distributor inventory data, parametric drop-in candidates, and practical layout notes that complement the official Cyclone III Device Handbook rather than replace it.
Drop-in alternatives for EP3C120F780C7N 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 EP3C120F780C7N (same form factor and footprint) β differing in Package, Process Technology, Speed Grade, Configuration Modes, Operating Temperature.
Quick Comparison Tool β Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP3C120F780C8N
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Contact for price
View Datasheet βEP3C120F780I7N
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$198.45 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP3C120F780C7AD
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$139 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP3C120F780I7
β Drop-In β οΈ εζ°εΎ ιͺθ―β In Stock
$610 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP4CE115F780C7N
β Drop-Inπ Reference alternative (not in catalog)
EP3C120F780C7N Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | Cyclone III |
| Series | EP3C120 |
| Logic Elements (LE) | 119,088 |
| Total Memory Bits | 3,981,312 |
| Embedded Memory Blocks (M9K) | 432 |
| 18x18 Hardware Multipliers | 531 |
| PLLs | 4 |
| Global Clock Networks | 20 |
| Maximum User I/O | 429 |
| Operating Temperature | 0C to +85C (commercial) |
| Core Voltage (VCCINT) | 1.2 V |
| Speed Grade | C7 |
| Process Technology | 65 nm low-k |
| Package | 780-pin FBGA (F780) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount (BGA) |
| Lead-Free / RoHS | Yes (suffix N) |
| Configuration Modes | AS, AP, FPP, PS, JTAG |
EP3C120F780C7N 780-pin fbga (f780) Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EP3C120F780C7N (780-pin fbga (f780) 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 EP3C120F780C7N.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EP3C120F780C7N is suitable for 7 applications: Industrial Motor Control & Drive, Machine Vision & Image Processing, Software-Defined Radio (SDR) Baseband, Video Processing & Broadcast Equipment, PCI Express Endpoint Card, Automotive ADAS Prototyping, DSP Front-End & Signal Conditioning.
Industrial Motor Control & Drive
The EP3C120F780C7N fits industrial motor control because its 531 hardware 18x18 multipliers and 3,981,312 bits of M9K memory can host multi-axis field-oriented control (FOC) loops with PWM generation, encoder feedback decoding, and fault handling in a single device. With a C7 speed grade supporting logic up to 437.5 MHz, the FPGA can close current loops at microsecond intervals while leaving headroom for communication stacks (EtherCAT, CANopen). The 429 user I/Os expose ample LVDS or single-ended channels for resolver, Hall sensor, and gate-driver interfaces, replacing multiple DSPs and reducing BOM cost versus microcontroller solutions.
Recommended
Machine Vision & Image Processing
Cyclone III EP3C120F780C7N is well-suited to machine vision pipelines because its M9K memory blocks implement line buffers and frame-store FIFOs efficiently, and its 531 multipliers accelerate convolution, Sobel, and color-space-conversion kernels. The 780-ball FBGA exposes up to 429 user I/Os, enough to interface parallel Camera Link, LVDS MIPI adapters, or HDMI inputs. Compared with a DSP-only approach, the FPGA delivers deterministic throughput independent of OS jitter, which is critical for inspection-line cycle times. Cyclone III's lower static power versus Cyclone II also keeps vision head dissipation within sealed industrial housings.
Recommended
Software-Defined Radio (SDR) Baseband
The EP3C120F780C7N serves as the digital baseband engine in software-defined radio prototypes because 119,088 logic elements and 531 multipliers can implement multi-channel DDC/DUC, FFT cores, and digital channelization. Its 4 PLLs and 20 global clock networks cleanly distribute ADC sample clocks and baseband processing clocks without on-chip jitter penalties. Cyclone III supports LVDS I/O at up to 805 Mbps, sufficient for direct ADC interfacing on lower-end designs. Engineers frequently choose this part because Cyclone III delivers Stratix-class fabric at lower power budgets, letting SDR reference designs fit into small enclosures or portable form factors.
Recommended
Video Processing & Broadcast Equipment
For broadcast video processing, the EP3C120F780C7N can implement SD/HD/3G-SDI receivers and transmitters, frame synchronizers, de-interlacers, and basic scalers without external ASICs. The 3,981,312 embedded memory bits hold multiple video line buffers and lookup tables, while the 531 multipliers handle chroma resampling and noise reduction. Cyclone III's support for DDR2 SDRAM controllers enables external frame-store at 1080p60 with comfortable bandwidth margin. The 780-ball FBGA and 1.2 V core keep power within broadcast-equipment thermal envelopes without active cooling, important for studio rack-mount gear where fan noise is unacceptable.
Recommended
PCI Express Endpoint Card
Cyclone III FPGAs implement soft PCIe Gen1 endpoint cores (x1, x4) in fabric, and the EP3C120F780C7N's 119,088 logic elements comfortably host a Gen1 x4 endpoint plus application DMA, scatter-gather engines, and host-side register maps. The 780-ball FBGA exposes the dedicated REFCLK, PERn/p, and PETn/p pins required for PCIe signaling, with on-chip termination (OCT) handling the 100 ohm differential impedance. Designers can prototype accelerator cards and add-in DAQ modules without an external PCIe PHY ASIC, materially reducing prototype cost and time-to-market.
Recommended
Automotive ADAS Prototyping
The EP3C120F780C7N, especially the AD-suffix variant EP3C120F780C7AD, is widely used in ADAS pre-silicon prototyping because 119K LEs and 531 multipliers can host sensor-fusion pipelines combining camera, radar, and LiDAR preprocessing. Cyclone III's deterministic latency is critical for perception-stage timing closure, and the wide parallel I/O count supports multiple MIPI-CSI or LVDS sensor interfaces. While the production car uses an SoC or ASIC, the FPGA prototype lets algorithm teams validate perception accuracy on recorded data months before silicon availability, shortening ADAS time-to-market.
Recommended
DSP Front-End & Signal Conditioning
For DSP front-end designs that need FIR filtering, FFT, and modulation/demodulation, the EP3C120F780C7N's 531 hardware 18x18 multipliers accelerate MAC operations far beyond what a microcontroller can sustain. M9K memory blocks implement coefficient ROMs and overlap-save buffers tightly, and the 4 PLLs derive multiple baseband sample rates from a single reference oscillator. The 780-ball FBGA is large enough to route differential analog front-end connections away from noisy digital outputs, simplifying PCB stack-up. This combination has made Cyclone III a reference platform for instrumentation, electronic warfare training systems, and test-equipment front ends.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP3C120F780C7N β comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP3C120F780C8N | EP3C120F780I7N | EP3C120F780C7AD | EP3C120F780I7 | EP4CE115F780C7N |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel |
| Package | 780-ball FBGA (F780) | 780-ball FBGA (F780) - same | 780-ball FBGA (F780) - same | 780-ball FBGA (F780) - same | 780-ball FBGA (F780) - same | 780-ball FBGA (F780) - same footprint, different pinout |
| Logic Elements | 119,088 | 119,088 | 119,088 | 119,088 | 119,088 | 114,480 |
| Speed Grade | C7 | C8 (faster) | C7 | C7 | C7 | C7 |
| Operating Temperature | 0C to +85C (commercial) | 0C to +85C | -40C to +100C (industrial) | 0C to +85C (automotive flow) | -40C to +100C (industrial) | 0C to +85C |
| 18x18 Multipliers | 531 | 531 | 531 | 531 | 531 | 532 |
| Embedded Memory (bits) | 3,981,312 | 3,981,312 | 3,981,312 | 3,981,312 | 3,981,312 | 3,981,312 |
| RoHS / Lead-Free | Yes (N suffix) | Yes (N suffix) | Yes (N suffix) | Yes (N suffix) | No (non-N suffix) | Yes (N suffix) |
| Estimated Unit Price (USD, qty 1) | 245.00 | 260.00 | 290.00 | 305.00 | 270.00 | 185.00 |
Key Differentiators
- Largest Cyclone III logic density available (vs EP3C120F484C7N (same die in 484-pin BGA))
- Higher logic density at same 780-ball footprint than Cyclone IV E (vs EP4CE115F780C7N (Cyclone IV E, same F780 package))
- 531 hardware 18x18 multipliers deliver high DSP throughput (vs EP3C16F256C8N (smaller Cyclone III))
Design Notes
The 780-ball FBGA at 1.0 mm pitch requires microvia (laser-drilled or sequential-build) PCB technology with a minimum 4-layer stack-up using 1 oz copper on outer layers and 0.5 oz on inner layers. Fan-out escape routing under the BGA must allocate at least 6 routing channels between escape vias; 4-layer designs are tight, 6-layer designs are recommended. Match all BGA balls to GND or to a decoupling capacitor within 100 mil of the ball. Reference the Cyclone III Device Handbook pin connection guidelines before final layout.
Estimated: the EP3C120F780C7N draws roughly 200 mA to 800 mA on VCCINT (1.2 V) depending on logic utilization and toggle rate, plus VCCIO bank supplies (typically 1.2 V to 3.3 V) and an analog VCCA_PLL rail. Provide at least 4 bulk decoupling capacitors (220 uF to 470 uF low-ESR) on each supply rail, plus 0.1 uF and 0.01 uF high-frequency ceramics distributed every 10 to 15 balls. Use a star-ground topology with separate analog and digital ground planes joined at a single point under the FPGA. Refer to the Cyclone III power distribution network guidelines for bulk-decoupling sizing.
Configuration pins (nCONFIG, nSTATUS, CONF_DONE, MSEL[3:0]) MUST be pulled high or low per the selected configuration scheme - a single MSEL strap error will prevent configuration. JTAG pins TCK, TMS, TDI, TDO cannot be left floating during normal operation; add 10 kohm pull-ups on TCK and TMS if the JTAG header is not populated. Unused I/O pins must be programmed as outputs driving ground or set to inputs with internal pull-ups enabled, otherwise floating inputs cause excess VCCIO current draw.
LVDS channels on Cyclone III require matched-pair routing with 100 ohm differential impedance and length matching within 150 ps for source-synchronous interfaces. Use on-chip termination (OCT) where available - external resistor networks add stubs and degrade signal integrity at high toggle rates. For DDR2 SDRAM interfaces, route data, address, and command signals on inner stripline layers with reference planes on both sides; target a 50 ohm single-ended trace impedance.
Compliance Information
RoHS compliant per N suffix and Intel/Altera Cyclone III product page. Not AEC-Q100 qualified - for AEC-Q100 reliability, choose the EP3C120F780C7AD automotive-flow variant. Lead-free matte tin ball finish per JEDEC J-STD-020 MSL3 classification.
