EP3SE50F484C4L - 47.5K LE Stratix III E FPGA 484-FBGA | Intel
MPN: EP3SE50F484C4L ✓ Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1223.09 | $1,223.09 |
| 10 | $1180 | $11,800.00 |
| 50 | $1125 | $56,250.00 |
| 100 | $1085 | $108,500.00 |
| 500 | $1020 | $510,000.00 |
EP3SE50F484C4L Overview
What is a Stratix III FPGA? Stratix III is Intel's third-generation 40nm/65nm high-performance FPGA family targeted at ASIC prototyping, high-speed DSP, and high-bandwidth I/O applications. Stratix III E devices specifically emphasize logic density, memory, and DSP resources, while Stratix III GX variants add transceivers. Within the Stratix family hierarchy, Stratix III sits between Stratix II and Stratix IV/V, representing a programmable-logic platform rather than a fixed-function ASIC.
Key features of the EP3SE50F484C4L include 47,500 logic elements, 1,900 LABs, 384 embedded 18x18 multipliers, 4.4 Mbits of MLAB memory plus dedicated M9K/M144K block memory, 12 PLLs, and 296 maximum user I/Os. The device supports high-performance external memory interfaces (DDR3, DDR2, QDRII+, RLDRAM2) via soft memory controllers, with a typical core voltage of 0.9V and supported I/O standards including LVDS, LVTTL, LVCMOS, HSTL, and SSTL.
Architecturally, the EP3SE50F484C4L uses the adaptive logic module (ALM) introduced in Stratix III, providing 8-input fracturable look-up tables that improve effective logic utilization versus older 4-LUT architectures. Programmable Power Technology allows unused logic, memory, and DSP blocks to be disabled at runtime, reducing static power by up to 50% compared with Stratix II in equivalent designs.
Typical applications include ASIC prototyping and emulation platforms, high-performance DSP (radar, medical imaging, software-defined radio), high-speed serial protocol bridging, video broadcast processing, and industrial test/measurement instrumentation. Designers often pair the part with external DDR3 memory and a high-speed ADC/DAC front end.
When designing with this device, validate the Quartus II / Quartus Prime fitter results carefully because the -4 speed grade with 484-ball FC-FBGA cooling envelope can drive junction temperatures to the upper limit of the 0°C to +85°C commercial grade. Plan thermal copper pours and use Altera's PowerPlay early power estimator before layout finalization.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, drop-in alternative MPNs (same 484-ball FC-FBGA package), and practical Quartus design notes not consolidated in the manufacturer datasheet.
Drop-in alternatives for EP3SE50F484C4L — 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 EP3SE50F484C4L (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Package, Family, Embedded Memory, Process Technology, Operating Temperature.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP3SE50F484C4G
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
Contact for price
View Datasheet →EP3SE50F484C4
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$215 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP3SE50F484C3N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$832.1 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP3SE50F484C2N
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$5934.83 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP3SE50F484I4N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$998 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP3SE110F484C4N
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
EP3SE50F484C4L Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | Stratix III E |
| Logic Elements | 47,500 |
| Logic Array Blocks (LABs) | 1,900 |
| Embedded Memory | 5,760 Kbits (M9K + M144K + MLAB) |
| Embedded Multipliers (18x18) | 384 |
| Maximum User I/Os | 296 |
| Process Technology | 65 nm CMOS |
| Speed Grade | -4 (performance-oriented) |
| Temperature Grade | Commercial (0 C to +85 C) |
| Package | 484-ball FC-FBGA |
| Core Voltage (typical) | 0.9 V |
| PLLs | 12 |
| Lead-Free Finish | Yes (L suffix) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount (BGA) |
| MSL Level | 3 (168 hours) |
EP3SE50F484C4L 484-ball fc-fbga Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EP3SE50F484C4L (484-ball fc-fbga 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 EP3SE50F484C4L.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EP3SE50F484C4L is suitable for 6 applications: ASIC Prototyping and Emulation, High-Performance DSP Pipelines, High-Speed Memory Interface Bridging, Video Broadcast Processing, Industrial Test and Measurement Instrumentation, Legacy Telecom Baseband Processing.
ASIC Prototyping and Emulation
The EP3SE50F484C4L fits ASIC prototyping because its 47,500 logic elements, 384 (18x18) multipliers, and 5,760 Kbits of block RAM can map mid-complexity ASICs onto a single FPGA for pre-silicon validation. Quartus II synthesis maps an RTL ASIC design into Stratix III ALMs with typical 70-90% utilization, and the 296 user I/Os in the 484-ball FC-FBGA package expose enough external pins to bring out ASIC peripherals, JTAG, and memory buses simultaneously. Engineers typically partition the ASIC across multiple Stratix III E devices with LVDS interconnect at hundreds of MHz.
Recommended
High-Performance DSP Pipelines
The EP3SE50F484C4L delivers 384 dedicated 18x18 hardware multipliers that sustain 250-400 MHz operation in pipelined FIR, FFT, and matrix-multiply kernels. Combined with M9K/M144K block memory for coefficient and sample storage, the device supports real-time radar, software-defined radio (SDR), and medical imaging pipelines that require multiple GFLOPs at low deterministic latency. The 12 PLLs generate the multiple clock domains needed for ADC sample-rate conversion and DDR3 memory access, and the 296 I/Os support parallel LVDS data capture from high-speed ADCs.
Recommended
High-Speed Memory Interface Bridging
The EP3SE50F484C4L's ALM architecture supports Altera's soft memory controller IP for DDR3, DDR2, QDRII+, and RLDRAM2 at rates up to 800 MHz. The 484-ball FC-FBGA ball-out dedicates several I/O banks to SSTL/HSTL signalling, allowing direct connection to 72-bit-wide DDR3 with appropriate VTT termination. Bridge applications include protocol conversion between QDRII+ SRAM and DDR3 SDRAM, or between legacy RLDRAM2 and modern DDR4. The 5,760 Kbit on-chip memory also serves as a high-bandwidth line-rate cache.
Recommended
Video Broadcast Processing
The EP3SE50F484C4L handles dual-channel 3G-SDI or quad-channel HD-SDI processing at 2970 Mbps and 1485 Mbps respectively using LVDS-capable I/Os. Stratix III E logic density supports real-time format conversion, color-space conversion, and frame-rate adaptation in a single device. The 296 user I/Os accept multi-stream SDI input while driving DVI/HDMI or DisplayPort output via external serializer parts. Video processing blocks typically consume 40-60% of LE resources, leaving headroom for audio embed/de-embed and ancillary data handling.
Recommended
Industrial Test and Measurement Instrumentation
The EP3SE50F484C4L integrates multiple parallel DSP channels needed in oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and protocol testers, where each acquisition channel runs an independent decimation and trigger engine. The 47,500 LEs support up to 32 parallel DSP slices, while M9K memory provides per-channel sample buffering before transfer to DDR3. The -C4L commercial temperature grade suits bench-top lab equipment; for harsh industrial deployment, upgrade to the -I4N industrial variant. The PLLs provide per-channel jitter-cleaning for high-accuracy ADC sampling.
Recommended
Legacy Telecom Baseband Processing
The EP3SE50F484C4L is widely deployed in legacy WCDMA, LTE, and WiMAX baseband cards where its 47.5K LEs and 384 multipliers handle 2x2 or 4x4 MIMO signal processing at 30.72 MHz sample rates. The Stratix III E supports CPRI and OBSAI fronthaul interfaces via LVDS-based soft cores at 614 Mbps and 768 Mbps respectively. While modern 5G designs have moved to Agilex and Stratix 10, the EP3SE50F484C4L remains in service equipment for 3G/4G basestation upgrades and rural cellular backhaul where re-design is not cost-effective.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP3SE50F484C4L — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP3SE50F484C4G | EP3SE50F484C4 | EP3SE50F484C3N | EP3SE50F484I4N | EP3SE110F484C4N |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel |
| Package | 484-ball FC-FBGA | 484-ball FC-FBGA (same) | 484-ball FC-FBGA (same) | 484-ball FC-FBGA (same) | 484-ball FC-FBGA (same) | 484-ball FC-FBGA (same) |
| Logic Elements | 47,500 | 47,500 (same) | 47,500 (same) | 47,500 (same) | 47,500 (same) | 110,000 (+131%) |
| Speed Grade | -4 (C4) | -4 (same) | -4 (same) | -3 (slower) | -4I (industrial) | -4 (same) |
| Temperature Grade | Commercial 0 C to +85 C | Commercial 0 C to +85 C | Commercial 0 C to +85 C | Commercial 0 C to +85 C | Industrial -40 C to +100 C | Commercial 0 C to +85 C |
| Embedded Multipliers (18x18) | 384 | 384 (same) | 384 (same) | 384 (same) | 384 (same) | 896 (+133%) |
| Embedded Memory (Kbits) | 5,760 | 5,760 (same) | 5,760 (same) | 5,760 (same) | 5,760 (same) | 8,820 (+53%) |
| User I/Os (max) | 296 | 296 (same) | 296 (same) | 296 (same) | 296 (same) | 296 (same) |
Key Differentiators
- Mid-density 47.5K LE Stratix III E with 296 user I/Os in 484-ball FC-FBGA (vs EP3SE110F484C4N)
- Commercial temperature grade at faster -4 speed grade (vs EP3SE50F484I4N)
- Faster speed grade within the same package (vs EP3SE50F484C3N)
Design Notes
Estimated: at 0.9 V core and 75-85% logic utilization in a Stratix III E device of this density, junction-to-ambient power dissipation typically falls in the 4-7 W range. The 484-ball FC-FBGA package exposes only the bottom thermal balls for heat extraction, so a minimum 4-layer PCB with a solid ground/power plane stackup is mandatory. Altera's PowerPlay Early Power Estimator should be run before final layout, and at the upper end of the 0 C to +85 C commercial range, airflow or a heatsink is recommended.
The 484-ball FC-FBGA uses a 1.0 mm ball pitch with 22x22 grid (center depopulated). Escape routing on top layer requires 4 mil trace/space with 0.4 mm laser-drilled microvias on a high-Tg FR-4 stackup. Maintain at least 3 ground-ball vias per quadrant stitched to the inner ground plane, and provide dedicated decoupling capacitor footprints within 100 mils of every VCC/VCCPD/VCCPT ball group (per Stratix III Hardware Reference, Volume 1).
Do NOT confuse the Stratix III E (logic-only) family with the Stratix III GX (with transceivers) - the EP3SE prefix marks the E variant which has zero transceiver channels. Also note that MSL 3 (168 hours) floor-life requires JEDEC J-STD-033 baking or nitrogen dry storage before reflow if the tray seal is broken. Finally, the -4 speed grade MPN suffix is 'C4' for commercial, NOT '4' alone; the Quartus device library must match this exact code or fitting will fail.
Compliance Information
Per Intel/Altera legacy product page, EP3SE50F484C4L is RoHS and REACH compliant with lead-free (Pb-free) ball finish as the 'L' suffix denotes. AEC-Q100 is not applicable as this is a commercial-grade FPGA; for AEC-Q100, use the I-grade variant. Halogen-free status not explicitly stated in the verified web data and is marked unknown.