EP3C25F324C8N - 24,624 LEs Cyclone III FPGA, 324-BGA | Intel
MPN: EP3C25F324C8N ✓ Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $48.5 | $48.50 |
| 10 | $43.2 | $432.00 |
| 100 | $36.75 | $3,675.00 |
| 500 | $31.4 | $15,700.00 |
| 1,000 | $27.1 | $27,100.00 |
EP3C25F324C8N Overview
A Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) is a reconfigurable semiconductor that lets engineers implement arbitrary digital logic, memory blocks, and DSP functions in silicon by loading a configuration bitstream. In the broader IC taxonomy, an FPGA sits below an ASIC in performance but above a microcontroller in flexibility, making it the workhorse for prototyping, low-volume custom logic, and parallel signal processing in industrial, communications, and test equipment.
Key features of the EP3C25F324C8N include 66 embedded 18x18 multipliers for DSP, four general-purpose PLLs for clock synthesis and skew management, and support for external memory interfaces including DDR/DDR2 SDRAM and QDRII SRAM. The 8 in the suffix indicates the device speed grade, while the C denotes the commercial 0 C to +85 C operating range. Compared with earlier Cyclone generations, this part delivers roughly 4x the logic capacity and significant power-per-LE reductions.
Typical applications span industrial motor and motion control, video processing pipelines, software-defined radio front-ends, telecom line cards, and ASIC prototyping platforms where the 215 I/O allow dense glue-logic integration with multiple parallel buses.
Designers should plan for JTAG-based configuration via a 10-pin header or Altera USB-Blaster download cable, place at least four 0.1 uF and one 10 uF decoupling capacitor near each power pin group, and consult the Cyclone III device handbook for I/O-bank VCCIO planning.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, drop-in alternatives within the Cyclone III family, and practical board-level design notes not collected in any single datasheet, giving engineers a one-stop reference for sourcing and second-sourcing this part.
Drop-in alternatives for EP3C25F324C8N — 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 EP3C25F324C8N (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Package, Process Technology, Operating Temperature, Embedded Memory, Speed Grade.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP3C25F324C6N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$62.3 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP3C25F324C7N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
Contact for price
View Datasheet →EP3C25F324C8
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$23.1 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP3C25F324I7N
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ 参数待验证✓ In Stock
$58.2 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP3C16F484C8N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$29.95 / Unit
View Datasheet →XC6SLX25-2CSG324C
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
EP3C25F324C8N Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | Cyclone III |
| Series | Cyclone III |
| Logic Elements (LEs) | 24,624 |
| Total Memory Bits | 608,256 bits |
| Embedded Memory (Kbits) | 608 Kbits |
| Number of I/O | 215 |
| Package | 324-BGA (FineLine) |
| Supply Voltage - Core | 1.2 V |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| Operating Temperature | 0 C to +85 C (commercial, suffix C) |
| Speed Grade | 8 |
| Total RAM Bits | 608,256 |
| Process Node | 60 nm low-power CMOS |
| Number of Multipliers (18x18) | 66 |
| Number of PLLs | 4 |
| RoHS Status | Compliant |
EP3C25F324C8N Pin Configuration
| Pin A1 | I/O — General purpose user I/O bank 1 |
| Pin A2 | I/O — General purpose user I/O bank 1 |
| Pin A3 | I/O — General purpose user I/O bank 1 |
| Pin A4 | VCCIO1 — I/O bank 1 supply voltage |
| Pin A5 | I/O — General purpose user I/O bank 1 |
| Pin B1 | I/O — General purpose user I/O bank 1 |
| Pin B2 | GND — Ground |
| Pin B3 | I/O — General purpose user I/O bank 1 |
| Pin B4 | I/O — General purpose user I/O bank 1 |
| Pin B5 | VCCIO1 — I/O bank 1 supply voltage |
| Pin C1 | I/O — General purpose user I/O bank 1 |
| Pin C2 | I/O — General purpose user I/O bank 1 |
| Pin C3 | VCCINT — Core logic 1.2 V supply |
| Pin C4 | GND — Ground |
| Pin C5 | I/O — General purpose user I/O bank 1 |
| Pin D1 | VCCIO2 — I/O bank 2 supply voltage |
| Pin D2 | I/O — General purpose user I/O bank 2 |
| Pin D3 | I/O — General purpose user I/O bank 2 |
| Pin D4 | I/O — General purpose user I/O bank 2 |
| Pin D5 | VCCIO2 — I/O bank 2 supply voltage |
Typical Applications
EP3C25F324C8N is suitable for 7 applications: Industrial Motor Control, Video Processing Pipeline, ASIC Prototyping Platform, Software-Defined Radio Front-End, Test & Measurement Instrumentation, Telecom Line Card Glue Logic, Educational FPGA Trainer Board.
Industrial Motor Control
The EP3C25F324C8N's 24,624 logic elements and 66 dedicated 18x18 multipliers make it well suited for field-oriented control (FOC) loops driving 3-phase PMSM or AC induction motors. Designers typically instantiate multiple PWM channels, encoder/QEI interfaces, and sigma-delta modulator decimators in parallel, exploiting the FPGA's hardware concurrency. The 215 user I/O accept simultaneous feedback from current shunts, resolver-to-digital converters, and Hall sensors without multiplexing. Compared with a microcontroller, the EP3C25 cuts FOC loop latency by 5-10x while operating in industrial enclosures between 0 C and +85 C; design with industrial-grade EP3C25F324I7N for harsher environments.
Recommended
Video Processing Pipeline
Mid-density Cyclone III devices like the EP3C25F324C8N have historically powered HD video overlay, color-space conversion, and deinterlacing boards. The 608 Kbits of block RAM buffer full video lines while the 66 multipliers handle real-time 2D filter kernels. The 215 I/O comfortably accept 24-bit RGB plus HSYNC/VSYNC, while the LVDS capability supports direct DVI/HDMI TMDS links through external buffers. Designers using the EP3C25 should budget for an external DDR2 memory chip for frame buffering and consult the Cyclone III external memory interface handbook for PHY timing closure.
Recommended
ASIC Prototyping Platform
With 24,624 LEs, 608 Kbits of RAM, and 66 multipliers, the EP3C25F324C8N is a workhorse for prototyping ASIC RTL before taping out. Quartus II supports ASIC prototyping flows including synthesis pragmas, pin-assignment reuse, and SCE-MI co-emulation. The 324-BGA exposes enough I/O to break out prototype ASIC pins to logic analyzers; multi-FPGA partitioning across two EP3C25 devices can validate ASICs up to ~5 million gates. Use the EP3C120F780C8N when prototyping larger ASICs.
Recommended
Software-Defined Radio Front-End
The EP3C25F324C8N implements digital down-conversion (DDC), digital up-conversion (DUC), and channelizer FIR filters for narrow-band SDR front-ends up to ~70 MHz of baseband bandwidth. The 66 multipliers handle 18x18 complex MACs at the device's internal Fmax, while the 4 PLLs synthesize independent sample clocks for ADC and DAC synchronization. Designers typically pair the EP3C25 with an external ADC such as the AD6645 and an FPGA Mezzanine Card (FMC) connector for software radio. Use the Lattice ECP3 family when tighter cost or lower power is required at the cost of DSP performance.
Recommended
Test & Measurement Instrumentation
Bench-top instruments such as logic analyzers, protocol exercisers, and arbitrary waveform generators use FPGAs like the EP3C25F324C8N to provide reconfigurable stimulus/response logic and high-speed parallel pattern generation. The 215 I/O accommodate multi-channel LVDS pattern I/O, while the 608 Kbits of block RAM implement deep capture buffers. Designers typically instantiate custom state machines using SCE-MI or UVVM verification methodology and stream captured data over Ethernet or USB to host software.
Recommended
Telecom Line Card Glue Logic
Carriers and OEMs have deployed Cyclone III EP3C25F324C8N devices on telecom line cards as glue logic between network processors, TDM framers, and SERDES transceivers. The 215 user I/O accept multi-standard LVCMOS/LVTTL/LVDS signaling, eliminating external transceiver buffers. The 4 PLLs synthesize independent clocks for backplane SERDES, framer, and CPU subsystems. For new designs, the Cyclone IV EP4CE25F23C8N is a recommended migration path with similar density at lower static power.
Recommended
Educational FPGA Trainer Board
Universities and training centers have adopted the EP3C25F324C8N on DE0/DE2-style development boards because the 24K LE density supports full RISC-V soft cores, HDMI output, audio CODEC interfaces, and on-board DDR2 memory exercises in a single semester course. The Quartus II Web Edition is free for students, lowering adoption cost. The 324-BGA package is large enough to be hand-solderable with a hot-air rework station for board repair.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP3C25F324C8N — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP3C25F324C6N | EP3C25F324I7N | XC6SLX25-2CSG324C |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Intel | Intel | Intel | Xilinx |
| Package | 324-BGA FineLine | 324-BGA FineLine | 324-BGA FineLine | 324-BGA CSG324 |
| Logic Elements / LUTs | 24,624 LEs | 24,624 LEs | 24,624 LEs | ~24,051 LUTs |
| Embedded Memory | 608 Kbits | 608 Kbits | 608 Kbits | 936 Kbits |
| Multipliers (18x18) | 66 | 66 | 66 | 38 DSP slices |
| Speed Grade | 8 | 6 | 7 | -2 |
| Operating Temperature | 0 C to +85 C (commercial) | 0 C to +85 C | -40 C to +100 C (industrial) | 0 C to +85 C |
| User I/O | 215 | 215 | 215 | 226 |
Key Differentiators
- Higher logic density than Cyclone III smaller-package variants (vs EP3C25F256C8N)
- Established Cyclone III ecosystem with mature Quartus II support (vs XC6SLX25-2CSG324C (Xilinx Spartan-6))
- Commercial 0-85 C temperature grade available at lower cost than industrial variant (vs EP3C25F324I7N)
Design Notes
The 324-BGA FineLine package uses 1.0 mm ball pitch and demands 4-layer PCB stack-up with a continuous ground pour directly under the BGA. Use microvia (laser-drilled) technology with 0.4 mm via pads to fan out the inner rows; via-in-pad with filled and plated-over copper caps is recommended for ground and power balls to improve thermal dissipation. A thermal pad pattern matching the package center pad (if exposed) must be soldered to a copper pour connected to GND.
Plan a multi-rail power tree for VCCINT (1.2 V core), VCCIO1-VCCIO8 (per-bank I/O voltages, often 1.8 V, 2.5 V, and 3.3 V mixed), and analog PLL VCC (2.5 V). Place at least one 0.1 uF decoupling capacitor per power pin within 2 mm of the ball, plus one 10 uF bulk capacitor per supply rail. Estimated: a fully utilized EP3C25 at 100% toggle rate draws ~0.5-0.8 A on VCCINT; size the 1.2 V regulator to deliver at least 1.2 A with 200 mV headroom.
Do not leave JTAG pins floating - TMS and TDI require 4.7 kohm pull-ups to VCCIO of the JTAG bank, and TCK requires a 4.7 kohm pull-down. Failing to do so prevents configuration startup on power-on reset. Also, the nCONFIG pin must see a clean 0-1 transition; a slow RC ramp on nCONFIG can cause intermittent configuration failures. Use a dedicated reset supervisor IC rather than an RC network for production boards.
When using LVDS signaling on Cyclone III I/O banks, route the LVDS pairs as 100 ohm differential microstrip with matched length within 5 mils (0.13 mm). Place the external 100 ohm termination resistor as close as possible to the receiver ball. For DDR/DDR2 external memory interfaces, follow the Cyclone III device handbook read-capture and write-capture timing guidelines and run Quartus TimeQuest to verify margins.
Compliance Information
RoHS compliant per Intel Cyclone III PCN materials declaration. Not AEC-Q100 qualified - the automotive market uses the equivalent Cyclone IV or Cyclone V families. Lead-free SAC305 assembly with 245 C peak reflow recommended.
