EP3SE260H780I4 - 255K LE Stratix III FPGA, 780-BGA | Intel
MPN: EP3SE260H780I4 β End of Life| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1850 | $1,850.00 |
| 10 | $1720 | $17,200.00 |
| 100 | $1595 | $159,500.00 |
| 250 | $1480 | $370,000.00 |
| 500 | $1390 | $695,000.00 |
EP3SE260H780I4 Overview
An FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) is a programmable logic device whose architecture is built from an array of configurable logic blocks (CLBs), embedded memory blocks, DSP blocks, and programmable interconnect. FPGAs occupy the top of the digital hardware hierarchy between ASICs (which are fixed-function) and microcontrollers (which are software-programmed but sequential). Stratix III E parts are positioned for high-performance signal processing, high-bandwidth connectivity, and ASIC prototyping where deterministic parallelism and large embedded memory are required.
Key features include up to 14.4 Mbit of embedded RAM (M9K/M144K blocks), dedicated DSP blocks supporting 9x9, 18x18, and 36x36 multipliers, up to 8 embedded transceivers operating up to 6.5 Gbps (per Stratix III family capability), and hard PCI Express Gen1 endpoints. The device supports configuration via JTAG, Passive Serial, Fast Passive Parallel, and Active Serial schemes using Altera/Intel EPCS or EPCQ flash memories.
The 65 nm process and 1.1 V core enable lower static power than the prior Stratix II generation. The HBGA-780 substrate uses flip-chip interconnects that shorten the die-to-package inductance path, supporting clean multi-Gbps signaling. The 'I4' suffix indicates industrial temperature grade (-40C to +100C ambient) and speed grade 4.
Typical applications include high-end test and measurement instrumentation, ASIC prototyping, broadcast video processing, defense signal processing, and wireless baseband preprocessing. The combination of 255K LEs and ~14 Mbit RAM targets pipelines that previously required multiple smaller FPGAs.
A primary design consideration is power delivery: the 1.1 V core rail can draw substantial current under high toggle rates - designers must budget for a multi-phase VRM with bulk decoupling close to the BGA balls. Signal integrity on the flip-chip BGA requires matched-length routing and reference-plane continuity under the escape region.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, drop-in same-package variants, and engineering guidance not found in the manufacturer datasheet alone.
Drop-in alternatives for EP3SE260H780I4 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 EP3SE260H780I4 (same form factor and footprint) β differing in Package, Speed Grade, Family, Mounting Type, Operating Temperature.
Quick Comparison Tool β Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP3SE260H780I3
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$1410 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP3SE260H780I3N
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$3295 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP3SE260H780C4
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$3150 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP3SE260H780C4N
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$1395 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP3SE260H780C4L
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$1190 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP3SE260H780C4LN
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$11950 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP3SE260H780I4 Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | Stratix III Enhanced (Stratix III E) |
| Logic Elements | 255,000 |
| Logic Cells | 255,000 |
| Logic Array Blocks (LABs) | 10,200 |
| Adaptive Logic Modules (ALMs) | approximately 203,200 |
| Maximum User I/Os | 488 |
| Process Technology | 65 nm CMOS |
| Core Voltage | 1.1 V |
| Embedded RAM (total) | approximately 14.4 Mbit (M9K/M144K blocks) |
| DSP Blocks | approximately 768 (18x18 multipliers) |
| Maximum Operating Frequency | up to 450 MHz core / 717 MHz per Partstack record |
| Package | 780-ball FC-HFBGA (HBGA) |
| Operating Temperature | -40C to +100C (industrial, 'I' grade) |
| Speed Grade | 4 |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount (BGA) |
| Configuration Schemes | JTAG, Passive Serial, Fast Passive Parallel, Active Serial |
EP3SE260H780I4 780-ball fc-hfbga (hbga) Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EP3SE260H780I4 (780-ball fc-hfbga (hbga) 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 EP3SE260H780I4.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EP3SE260H780I4 is suitable for 7 applications: High-Speed ASIC Prototyping, Wireless Baseband Signal Processing, Test and Measurement Instrumentation, Broadcast Video Processing, Defense and Aerospace Signal Processing, Medical Imaging Pipeline, High-Performance Computing Acceleration.
High-Speed ASIC Prototyping
The EP3SE260H780I4 is well suited to ASIC and ASSP prototyping where the 255,000 logic elements, ~14.4 Mbit embedded RAM, and ~768 dedicated DSP blocks provide ample capacity to map multi-million-gate ASICs onto a single device. Placed on a prototyping platform with abundant user I/Os (488 available on the HBGA-780), the FPGA delivers deterministic, repeatable parallel execution ideal for design verification and software bring-up before mask production. The industrial temperature grade supports bench and chassis environments. Designers gain the ability to iterate RTL quickly without the multi-month ASIC tape-out cycle.
Recommended
Wireless Baseband Signal Processing
Wireless baseband and digital-IF pipelines benefit from the EP3SE260H780I4's combination of high logic density, embedded memory for sample buffering, and dedicated 18x18 DSP blocks for FIR/FFT cores. The 65 nm Stratix III architecture targets multi-channel LTE and WCDMA processing where the 255K LEs can absorb channel cards that previously required multiple FPGAs. Hard PCIe Gen1 endpoints simplify base-station backhaul connectivity, while the 488 user I/Os stream high-rate ADC/DAC samples to and from the device.
Recommended
Test and Measurement Instrumentation
Test and measurement platforms (logic analyzers, protocol testers, digitizers) leverage the EP3SE260H780I4's large parallel processing fabric and embedded memory to capture and process hundreds of high-speed channels. The 488 user I/Os and multiple I/O standards (LVDS, LVCMOS, HSTL) allow direct connection to high-speed ADCs, DACs, and DUT probes without external muxing. Industrial temperature qualification enables bench, laboratory, and field-deployed instrument deployment, while the 65 nm process keeps per-channel static power manageable in dense channel-count designs.
Recommended
Broadcast Video Processing
Studio-quality broadcast video processing requires high pixel throughput and frame-buffer memory, both of which the EP3SE260H780I4 provides via its ~14.4 Mbit embedded RAM and 488 I/Os. Real-time 4:2:2 and 4:4:4 processing pipelines (color space conversion, scaling, frame-rate conversion, compression pre-processing) fit comfortably within the 255K LE fabric. The dedicated DSP blocks accelerate motion-estimation and deblocking kernels used in broadcast codec front-ends. Industrial temperature qualification supports OB-van and stadium-deployed production environments.
Recommended
Defense and Aerospace Signal Processing
Electronic warfare, radar processing, and SIGINT systems benefit from the EP3SE260H780I4's deterministic high-throughput DSP blocks and substantial embedded memory for sample buffering. The 65 nm process and 1.1 V core keep dynamic power within thermal budgets for SWaP-constrained platforms, while 488 user I/Os connect to multi-channel RF ADCs and DACs. The industrial temperature grade qualifies the part for many defense platforms, though MIL-STD programs typically pair Stratix III with screening per MIL-STD-883 or equivalent flow at the contract manufacturer.
Recommended
Medical Imaging Pipeline
Medical imaging front-ends (ultrasound beamforming, CT reconstruction, MRI pre-processing) require dense DSP and large embedded memory - both resources abundant in the EP3SE260H780I4's 255K LEs and ~14.4 Mbit RAM. The 488 user I/Os stream parallel ADC data from transducer arrays at hundreds of megasamples per second, while dedicated DSP blocks accelerate the FFT and convolution kernels central to image reconstruction. Industrial temperature grade supports imaging carts and operating-room equipment that operate across ambient ranges.
Recommended
High-Performance Computing Acceleration
Custom compute accelerators for scientific workloads, financial analytics, and cryptography leverage the EP3SE260H780I4's 255K LEs and hundreds of 18x18 multipliers to implement massively parallel datapaths. The PCIe hard endpoint enables direct host attachment in PCIe form-factor accelerator cards, while the HBGA-780 package supports the high pin-bandwidth required for DDR2/DDR3 memory interfaces. Industrial temperature qualification supports HPC cluster deployments in non-data-center facilities.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP3SE260H780I4 β comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP3SE260H780I3 | EP3SE260H780C4 | EP3SE260H780C4N | EP3SE260H780I3N |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel |
| Package | 780-ball FC-HFBGA | 780-ball FC-HFBGA - same | 780-ball FC-HFBGA - same | 780-ball FC-HFBGA - same | 780-ball FC-HFBGA - same |
| Logic Elements | 255,000 | 255,000 | 255,000 | 255,000 | 255,000 |
| Speed Grade | 4 | 3 (one bin slower) | 4 (same) | 4 (same) | 3 (one bin slower) |
| Temperature Grade | Industrial (-40C to +100C) | Industrial (same) | Commercial (0C to +85C) | Commercial (0C to +85C) | Industrial (same) |
| Maximum User I/Os | 488 | 488 | 488 | 488 | 488 |
| Core Voltage | 1.1 V | 1.1 V | 1.1 V | 1.1 V | 1.1 V |
| Lifecycle Status | NRND | NRND (same family) | NRND (same family) | NRND (same family) | NRND (same family) |
Key Differentiators
- Highest density Stratix III E with 255K LEs in HBGA-780 (vs EP3SE110F780I4)
- Industrial temperature grade for harsh environments (vs EP3SE260H780C4)
- Fastest speed grade (4) for tightest timing margins (vs EP3SE260H780I3)
Design Notes
The 1.1 V core rail on EP3SE260H780I4 can exceed 10 A under high toggle rates across 255K LEs. Use a multi-phase VRM with at least 2 oz copper planes on the FC-HFBGA escape region, and place bulk ceramic capacitors (22 uF X5R minimum) within 5 mm of the package. Add 0.1 uF/1 nF/10 nF decoupling triplets at each power-ball cluster to suppress switching transients. For auxiliary rails (VCCA, VCCPD, VCCIO per bank), follow the Quartus II power-play early power estimator output for current budgeting before final PCB.
Estimated: At 1.1 V core drawing ~10 A and ~3.3 V auxiliaries drawing ~2 A, total power dissipation can reach ~18 W under worst-case workloads. With FC-HFBGA typical theta_JA around 10-15 C/W on a 12-layer JEDEC board, junction temperature rise may exceed 100 C above ambient without airflow. Design with at least 200 LFM forced airflow across the package, or implement a copper heat-spreader lid frame bonded to the BGA substrate. Always validate against the Quartus II PowerPlay thermal model for the actual design bitstream.
The 780-ball FC-HFBGA at 1.0 mm pitch requires an HDI stack-up with laser-drilled micro vias (via-in-pad recommended for inner rows). Reference planes must remain continuous under the escape region to maintain controlled impedance for LVDS and HSTL I/O standards. Match clock-pair trace lengths within 25 mils and length-match DDR data/strobe/clock within 50 mils to satisfy Stratix III timing budgets. Use Intel/Altera's HBGA-780 breakout reference for layer assignment guidance.
Do not assume all 488 user I/Os are simultaneously available - the Quartus II fitter may consume some balls for configuration, JTAG, and dedicated transceivers. Confirm bank-by-bank VCCIO assignments before PCB layout because once the board is built, bank reassignment requires PCB rework. Configuration mode (AS, PS, FPP, JTAG) affects which pins are dedicated; verify MSEL[2:0] strap values match the desired configuration mode. Do not skip the CRC-check option in the configuration bitstream for safety-critical deployments.
Stratix III transceivers operating up to 6.5 Gbps require AC-coupling capacitors, controlled 100-ohm differential impedance, and via stub length below 60 mils for the 6.5 Gbps data rate. Use the Stratix III Signal Integrity Design Guide and IBIS-AMI models for channel simulation before PCB fab. For LVDS I/O, maintain 100-ohm differential and length-match within 20 mils of the receiver pair. Add series AC termination near the FPGA pin when driving long backplane traces.
Compliance Information
RoHS and lead-free status not confirmed in verified web data; consult Intel product compliance documentation. AEC-Q100 not applicable for FPGAs; industrial temperature grade is qualified per Intel's own qualification flow, not AEC-Q100.
