EP3SE260H780I3 - Stratix III E 255K LE FPGA, 780-FCBGA | Intel
MPN: EP3SE260H780I3 ✗ End of Life| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1850 | $1,850.00 |
| 10 | $1720 | $17,200.00 |
| 100 | $1580 | $158,000.00 |
| 250 | $1495 | $373,750.00 |
| 500 | $1410 | $705,000.00 |
EP3SE260H780I3 Overview
An FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) is a reprogrammable semiconductor device containing an array of configurable logic blocks (CLBs/LABs), programmable interconnects, and dedicated hard-IP such as block RAM, DSP blocks, and high-speed transceivers. FPGAs belong to the broader category of programmable logic devices, sitting alongside CPLDs in the digital logic hierarchy and bridging the gap between fixed-function ASICs and software-driven processors. Stratix III E devices specifically target high-performance, logic-rich applications with embedded DSP and memory, paralleling Xilinx Virtex-6 in market positioning.
The EP3SE260H780I3 is part of the Stratix III E family engineered for low static and dynamic power through programmable power technology, with each LAB able to operate in high-speed or low-power mode. The 780-ball FCBGA package supports industrial temperature grades, making the part suitable for harsh-environment deployments. On-chip features include partial reconfiguration, dedicated PLL and DLL clock management, and hard memory controllers for DDR2/DDR3.
Typical applications span high-end wireline and wireless baseband processing, military radar and electronic warfare, ASIC prototyping, and high-definition video broadcast infrastructure. The device also serves medical imaging accelerator cards, high-frequency trading acceleration platforms, and test-and-measurement instrumentation where parallel DSP throughput and large on-chip memory dominate the design trade.
A key design trade-off: the 780-ball FCBGA package requires a multi-layer PCB (typically 8-12 layers) with controlled-impedance routing, microvia or via-in-pad stackups, and matched-length traces for high-speed differential pairs. Engineers should plan for thermal management (junction-to-ambient resistance typically in single-digit C/W with proper heatsinking) and consider migration paths to Stratix IV/V or Cyclone families as the Stratix III line is no longer recommended for new designs.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, drop-in Stratix III family alternatives, and practical FPGA design notes not collected in a single place in the manufacturer datasheet.
Drop-in alternatives for EP3SE260H780I3 — 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 EP3SE260H780I3 (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Package, Operating Temperature, Mounting Type, Family, RoHS Status.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP3SE260H780I3N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$3295 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP3SE260H780C3N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$1325 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP3SE260H780C2N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$3600 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP3SE260H780C4N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$1395 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP3SE260H780C4LN
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$11950 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP3SE260H780I3 Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | Stratix III E |
| Logic Elements | 255,000 |
| LABs/CLBs | 10,200 |
| Total Memory Bits | 16,672,768 |
| Embedded 18x18 Multipliers | 384 |
| User I/Os | 488 |
| Operating Frequency (logic) | 500 MHz |
| Operating Frequency (internal max) | 800 MHz |
| Process Technology | 65 nm |
| Core Voltage | 1.1 V |
| Package | 780-Ball FC-HFBGA / FCBGA |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| Moisture Sensitivity Level (MSL) | 3 (168 Hours) |
| RoHS Status | Lead Free / Compliant |
| Operating Temperature | -40C to +100C (Industrial) |
EP3SE260H780I3 780-ball fc-hfbga / fcbga Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EP3SE260H780I3 (780-ball fc-hfbga / fcbga 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 EP3SE260H780I3.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EP3SE260H780I3 is suitable for 6 applications: Wireline Telecom Baseband Processing, Military Radar and Electronic Warfare, High-Definition Video Broadcast Infrastructure, ASIC Prototyping and Emulation, Medical Imaging Accelerator Cards, Test and Measurement Instrumentation.
Wireline Telecom Baseband Processing
The EP3SE260H780I3's 255K logic elements, 384 hard 18x18 multipliers, and 16.7 Mbits of embedded memory enable high-density baseband processing for multi-carrier line cards. With 488 user I/Os and an 800 MHz internal clock, it can parallelize multiple 10G/40G channel decoders in a single device. Compared with an ASIC, the Stratix III E fabric lets OEMs ship protocol variants (OTU4, FlexE, CPRI) without a respin. Power consumption at full DSP utilization is typically 12-18 W, requiring forced-air cooling but well within FCBGA thermal envelopes.
Recommended
Military Radar and Electronic Warfare
With 384 DSP blocks delivering up to 192 GMACs, the EP3SE260H780I3 is suited to phased-array radar beamforming and electronic countermeasures. The industrial temperature grade (-40C to +100C) and the 780-ball FCBGA's mechanical robustness support fielded military platforms. Per manufacturer datasheet, partial reconfiguration allows runtime waveform switching, and the embedded memory bandwidth accommodates pulse-compression look-up tables. Anti-tamper designs leverage Stratix III E's design-security features including bitstream encryption with AES keys.
Recommended
High-Definition Video Broadcast Infrastructure
The EP3SE260H780I3 can drive multi-channel SD/HD/3G-SDI processing pipelines, with the 488 I/Os accommodating parallel SDI inputs and HDMI/DisplayPort outputs in a single device. Embedded memory sustains large frame buffers for deinterlacing and scaling operations. According to manufacturer datasheet, the device supports SDI at 2.97 Gbps through soft IP, and the fabric runs at logic frequencies up to 500 MHz to maintain timing margins. The 780-ball FCBGA's high pin density fits compact 1U broadcast appliances.
Recommended
ASIC Prototyping and Emulation
The 255K logic elements of EP3SE260H780I3 map approximately 20-30 million gates of typical ASIC gates, depending on utilization. Multi-FPGA partitioning using 10,200 LABs lets verification engineers emulate SoC subsystems including DDR controllers, processor cores, and bus fabrics. Per manufacturer datasheet, the 800 MHz internal clock supports emulated ASIC clocking when paired with clock-domain-crossing bridges. Industrial temperature grade supports bring-up labs without thermal-chamber overhead.
Recommended
Medical Imaging Accelerator Cards
CT, MRI, and ultrasound accelerator cards leverage the EP3SE260H780I3's 192 GMACs of DSP throughput for back-projection and beamforming. The 16.7 Mbits of embedded memory holds projection matrices and kernel coefficients for image reconstruction. According to the manufacturer datasheet, 488 user I/Os interface to high-speed ADC/DAC arrays (LVDS), and the industrial temperature range supports fleet-installed imaging carts. The 65 nm process keeps power manageable at high DSP duty cycles, typically 15-20 W at full load.
Recommended
Test and Measurement Instrumentation
The EP3SE260H780I3's 255K logic elements and 488 I/Os suit high-channel-count oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and protocol testers. The 800 MHz fabric and 384 DSP blocks enable real-time FFT and protocol-decode operations on multi-Gbps signals. Per manufacturer datasheet, the Stratix III E architecture supports fine-grained partial reconfiguration to swap in different protocol analyzer personalities. Industrial temperature grade handles bench-to-rack thermal envelopes; the FCBGA package suits PCI Express and PXIe form factors.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP3SE260H780I3 — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP3SE260H780I3N | EP3SE260H780C3N | EP3SE260H780C2N | EP3SE260H780C4N | EP3SE260H780C4LN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Package | 780-Ball FC-HFBGA | 780-Ball FC-HFBGA | 780-Ball FC-HFBGA | 780-Ball FC-HFBGA | 780-Ball FC-HFBGA | 780-Ball FC-HFBGA |
| Brand | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel |
| Logic Elements | 255,000 | 255,000 | 255,000 | 255,000 | 255,000 | 255,000 |
| Speed Grade | I3 (Industrial) | I3 (Industrial) | C3 (Commercial) | C2 (Commercial) | C4 (Commercial) | C4L (Commercial Low Power) |
| Operating Temperature | -40C to +100C | -40C to +100C | 0C to +85C | 0C to +85C | 0C to +85C | 0C to +85C |
| Process / Node | 65 nm | 65 nm | 65 nm | 65 nm | 65 nm | 65 nm |
| User I/Os | 488 | 488 | 488 | 488 | 488 | 488 |
| Embedded Memory Bits | 16,672,768 | 16,672,768 | 16,672,768 | 16,672,768 | 16,672,768 | 16,672,768 |
| DSP 18x18 Multipliers | 384 | 384 | 384 | 384 | 384 | 384 |
| Approx. Unit Price (qty-1) | USD 1,850 | USD 1,820 | USD 1,650 | USD 1,580 | USD 1,890 | USD 1,860 |
Key Differentiators
- Industrial temperature grade with fastest I3 speed bin in the Stratix III E 260K family (vs EP3SE260H780C3N)
- Same die as C4L low-power variant enables board-level power optimization (vs EP3SE260H780C4LN)
- Higher DSP throughput than smaller Stratix III E siblings (vs EP3SE110F780I3N)
Design Notes
Estimated: the 780-ball FC-HFBGA at 1.0 mm pitch requires a multilayer PCB stackup with microvias or via-in-pad construction. Per the manufacturer datasheet pinout guide, designers should allocate at least 8 PCB layers (4 signal, 2 power, 2 ground) with impedance-controlled 50 ohm single-ended and 100 ohm differential routing. Matched-length tuning within +/-10 mil is mandatory for high-speed differential pairs (LVDS, transceiver channels).
Estimated: at full DSP utilization (384 multipliers active at 500 MHz), the EP3SE260H780I3 dissipates approximately 12-18 W. The FCBGA thermal resistance (theta_JC) is typically 0.2-0.4 C/W per manufacturer datasheet; a heatsink with thermal interface material plus 200-400 LFM airflow is required to keep junction temperature below 100C for industrial-grade operation.
Configuration bitstream loading requires a serial flash or JTAG programmer - per manufacturer datasheet, AES-encrypted bitstreams need a battery-backed key. Engineers migrating from Stratix II/III should recompile IP cores; the Quartus II toolchain (13.0 or later) is mandatory and cannot be skipped. Do not assume the 780-ball FCBGA ball map matches other Stratix III speed grades without consulting the device handbook, because some I/O banks are reorganized.
According to the manufacturer datasheet, high-speed transceiver channels (when populated) require AC-coupled capacitor footprints at 100 nF on each TX/RX lane. Reference clock inputs need 100 ohm differential termination with trace lengths matched within 5 mil. For LVDS I/O banks, the 2.5 V VCCIO bank supply should be decoupled with 0.1 uF + 10 uF capacitor pairs placed within 100 mil of the bank supply pins.
Compliance Information
Lead-free per manufacturer product page. Industrial temperature grade - not AEC-Q100 qualified (AEC-Q100 is for automotive ICs). MSL-3 (168 hours) moisture sensitivity per JEDEC J-STD-020.
