EP3SE50F780C4LN - 47.5K LE Stratix III E FPGA 780-FBGA | Intel
MPN: EP3SE50F780C4LN β Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $950 | $950.00 |
| 10 | $870 | $8,700.00 |
| 100 | $780 | $78,000.00 |
| 500 | $705 | $352,500.00 |
| 1,000 | $650 | $650,000.00 |
EP3SE50F780C4LN Overview
An FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) is a reprogrammable digital integrated circuit that combines programmable logic blocks, configurable interconnect, and dedicated hardware resources such as block RAM, DSP blocks, and high-speed transceivers. FPGAs sit between general-purpose CPUs/ASICs and DSPs: they offer hardware parallelism and custom logic that microcontrollers cannot match, while preserving post-shipment reprogrammability that ASICs lack. Stratix III E variants are the enhanced-logic-density member of the Stratix III generation, optimized for logic-rich DSP, video, and high-throughput datapath applications rather than transceiver-rich protocol bridging.
Key features include 1,900 LABs (Logic Array Blocks), 12 transceiver channels at up to 375 MHz, embedded multipliers arranged in DSP blocks, and partial reconfiguration support. The C4 speed grade designates the slowest Stratix III timing bin, traded for lower dynamic power and lower cost, while the L suffix indicates a lead-free, RoHS-compliant package. The 780-FBGA delivers a large user-IO budget (488 I/Os) and a thermal/electrical path suited to mid-density prototyping and production platforms.
Architecturally, the EP3SE50F780C4LN integrates a logic-rich fabric with embedded SRAM organized in M9K and M144K block RAM blocks, hardware DSP slices for multiply-accumulate operations, and on-chip PLLs for clock management. The 65 nm low-power process combines adaptive voltage scaling with multiple programmable power-saving modes, allowing unused logic and I/O banks to enter near-zero quiescent state during idle intervals.
Typical applications include high-speed digital signal processing, ASIC prototyping, video broadcast and image processing pipelines, industrial control and motor drive, MIL/AERO electronics where legacy Altera toolchains are entrenched, and high-density parallel compute platforms. Designers choose the C4 speed grade when throughput budgets allow slower Fmax targets in exchange for lower BOM cost and reduced cooling.
Design considerations include Quartus II tool compatibility (Stratix III devices are supported by Quartus II v9.0 SP2 and later, including Quartus Prime with legacy device support), the need for a dedicated configuration controller or JTAG loader, multi-rail power sequencing between core (0.9 V), PLL analog (1.1 V), and I/O banks, and careful BGA PCB layout with microvia stack-ups for the 780-ball package.
This page consolidates real-time distributor pricing, drop-in Stratix III alternatives that share the 780-FBGA footprint, and design notes not aggregated on a single OEM page.
Drop-in alternatives for EP3SE50F780C4LN 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 EP3SE50F780C4LN (same form factor and footprint) β differing in Package, Speed Grade, Family, Operating Temperature, Mounting Type.
Quick Comparison Tool β Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP3SE50F780C4N
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$1430 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP3SE50F780C4
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$726.28 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP3SE50F780C4L
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$1320 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP3SE50F780C4LG
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$289.5 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP3SL50F780C4N
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$162 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP3SE50F780C3N
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$717.12 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP3SE110F780C4N
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$1395 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP3SE50F780C4LN Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | Stratix III E |
| Logic Elements | 47,500 |
| LABs (Logic Array Blocks) | 1,900 |
| Embedded Memory | 5,760,000 bits |
| User I/Os | 488 |
| Package | 780-ball FC-FBGA |
| Process Node | 65 nm |
| Core Voltage | 0.9 V |
| Speed Grade | C4 |
| Operating Temperature | 0Β°C to 85Β°C (Commercial) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount (BGA) |
| Lead-Free / RoHS | Yes (L suffix) |
| Maximum Toggle Frequency | 375 MHz |
| Configuration Modes | Passive Serial, Fast Passive, Active Serial (AS), Active Parallel (AP), JTAG |
| DSP Blocks | Yes (embedded multipliers) |
| Block RAM Type | M9K + M144K |
| Memory Architecture | SRAM-based, reprogrammable |
| RoHS Status | Compliant |
EP3SE50F780C4LN 780-ball fc-fbga Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EP3SE50F780C4LN (780-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 EP3SE50F780C4LN.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EP3SE50F780C4LN is suitable for 6 applications: ASIC Prototyping Platform, High-Speed Digital Signal Processing, Video Broadcast and Image Processing, Industrial Control and Motor Drive, Military and Aerospace Electronics, High-Density Parallel Compute.
ASIC Prototyping Platform
The EP3SE50F780C4LN's 47,500 logic elements, 5,760,000 bits of embedded SRAM, and 488 user I/Os make it well-suited to mid-complexity ASIC prototyping where designers map RTL from an in-progress ASIC onto a reprogrammable fabric. The 780-FBGA package exposes enough I/O to fan out wide internal buses to physical headers for real-world interface validation. C4 speed grade is acceptable for prototype timing closure where the production ASIC will hit tighter silicon timing. Quartus II RTL synthesis and incremental compile flows target this part family directly.
Recommended
High-Speed Digital Signal Processing
The Stratix III E fabric's embedded DSP blocks deliver hardware multiply-accumulate operations in a single cycle, and the EP3SE50F780C4LN provides enough DSP slice density for multi-channel baseband processing, software-defined radio front-ends, and radar pulse-Doppler pipelines. 5.76 Mbit block RAM enables large FFT working-data stores without external SRAM access stalls. The 488 I/Os and C4 timing bin comfortably drive LVDS-based ADC/DAC interfaces at hundreds of MSPS. Industrial and defense customers value the part's long-lifecycle support that aligns with program lifetimes.
Recommended
Video Broadcast and Image Processing
SD/HD video processing pipelines, deinterlacers, scalers, and multi-stream transcoders fit naturally inside the EP3SE50F780C4LN's 47.5K-LE budget. The block RAM tiles hold line buffers and pixel-history tables without round-trips to external memory, sustaining 1080p60 throughput at reduced system cost. LVDS and DDR-style I/O banks support parallel camera-sensor ingestion and HDMI/DVI transmit bridges. The C4 speed grade is widely used in broadcast head-end equipment where Fmax targets sit below 200 MHz.
Recommended
Industrial Control and Motor Drive
FPGAs in industrial motion controllers execute deterministic control loops faster than microcontrollers, and the EP3SE50F780C4LN delivers the necessary logic density for multi-axis servo, encoder interface, and fieldbus bridging. 488 user I/Os provide headroom for parallel encoder, resolver, and stepper/direction signals on a single chip. The 65 nm low-power process allows fan-less operation in sealed enclosures. Operating temperature range (0Β°C to 85Β°C commercial) suits most factory-floor deployments, and Stratix III long-term support matches typical industrial product lifetimes.
Recommended
Military and Aerospace Electronics
Legacy aerospace and defense programs continue to rely on the Stratix III generation because of mature Altera toolchain qualifications, ITAR/export-controlled IP libraries, and verified reference designs. The EP3SE50F780C4LN's logic capacity supports avionics databus concentration, radar preprocessing, and secure communications front-ends. Designers can leverage existing military-qualified IP cores and signal-processing libraries already validated against this device family. Extended-lifecycle support from Intel and authorized defense distributors keeps production lines running across multi-decade program horizons.
Recommended
High-Density Parallel Compute
Compute acceleration workloads - genomic alignment, cryptographic hashing, search engines, network packet processing - map efficiently to FPGA fabrics and the EP3SE50F780C4LN offers enough logic to host multiple parallel compute pipelines. The 5.76 Mbit block RAM serves as on-chip scratchpad memory for streaming data, while the 488 I/Os connect to multiple DDR memory channels and high-bandwidth host interfaces (PCIe soft IP, SRIO). The C4 speed grade is suitable for deeply pipelined architectures where high latency is hidden by parallelism.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP3SE50F780C4LN β comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP3SE50F780C4N | EP3SE50F780C4 | EP3SE50F780C4L | EP3SL50F780C4N | EP3SE50F780C3N | EP3SE110F780C4N |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) |
| Package | 780-FBGA (FC-FBGA) | 780-FBGA - same | 780-FBGA - same | 780-FBGA - same | 780-FBGA - same | 780-FBGA - same | 780-FBGA - same |
| Logic Elements | 47,500 | 47,500 | 47,500 | 47,500 | 47,500 | 47,500 | 110,000 |
| Speed Grade | C4 | C4 | C4 | C4 | C4 | C3 (faster Fmax) | C4 |
| Family / Tier | Stratix III E (Enhanced Logic) | Stratix III E | Stratix III E | Stratix III E | Stratix III L (Low Power) | Stratix III E | Stratix III E |
| User I/Os | 488 | 488 | 488 | 488 | 488 | 488 | 488 |
| Embedded Memory | 5,760,000 bits | 5,760,000 bits | 5,760,000 bits | 5,760,000 bits | 5,760,000 bits | 5,760,000 bits | Higher (per -SE110 capacity) |
| Lead-Free / RoHS | Yes (L suffix) | Yes (N suffix) | Yes (standard) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Key Differentiators
- Largest I/O budget in the 780-FBGA Stratix III E tier (vs EP3SE50F484C4N)
- Lower static power than Stratix III E alternatives of similar density (vs EP3SL50F780C4N)
- Identical silicon across lead-finish variants (-LN, -N, -L, -G suffixes) (vs EP3SE50F780C4N)
Design Notes
The 780-ball FC-FBGA requires a microvia PCB stack-up with matched-length impedance-controlled traces for LVDS pairs and DDR memory interfaces. Designers should allocate at least 6 PCB layers (4 signal + 2 plane) to escape the dense BGA. Per the Stratix III Device Handbook, signal-integrity simulations with IBIS models are recommended above 200 MHz toggles. Use buried vias or microvias for inner-row ball escape; through-hole vias on inner balls can block signal routing channels and force layer count increases.
The EP3SE50F780C4LN requires at least three independent power rails: 0.9 V core, 1.1 V PLL analog, and per-bank I/O voltages (1.2 V / 1.5 V / 1.8 V / 2.5 V / 3.3 V depending on bank standard). Power sequencing must follow Intel's reference design - core supply before PLL analog supply, with I/O supplies last. Bulk decoupling of 220 Β΅F per rail plus 0.1 Β΅F + 10 Β΅F ceramic near every power pin is mandatory. Estimated: at typical 70% utilization with 200 MHz toggle, total power consumption sits around 5-7 W, requiring modest airflow or a copper spreader.
Quartus II v9.0 SP2 or later is required to target Stratix III devices - older Quartus versions do not support this family and will reject the device. When migrating from Cyclone III designs, watch for I/O standard differences: Stratix III supports more LVDS channels but with different pin-pair constraints. The C4 speed grade is the slowest Stratix III bin - if your design just barely closes timing, consider the C3 variant (EP3SE50F780C3N) instead. Configuration file (.sof/.pof) generation must include the correct configuration scheme bit, otherwise JTAG chain debugging will fail silently.
Compliance Information
RoHS compliant per Intel product marking (L suffix denotes lead-free per JEDEC J-STD-609). Not AEC-Q100 qualified - automotive customers should reference automotive-grade Cyclone or Arria families instead. Halogen-free status not explicitly listed in available data; conservative 'unknown' value used.