EP3SL70F484C2G - 67.5K LE Stratix III L FPGA FCBGA-484 | Intel
MPN: EP3SL70F484C2G β End of Life| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $320 | $320.00 |
| 10 | $295 | $2,950.00 |
| 25 | $275 | $6,875.00 |
| 50 | $258 | $12,900.00 |
| 100 | $240 | $24,000.00 |
EP3SL70F484C2G Overview
A Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) is a programmable logic device built around a fabric of configurable logic blocks (LBs), programmable routing, and embedded memory, DSP, and clock resources. Stratix III L belongs to the low-power static-power-optimized Stratix III sub-family; it sits in the broader hierarchy of FPGA β programmable logic β logic IC β semiconductor. Unlike fixed-function ASICs, FPGAs allow post-silicon hardware reconfiguration, making them well suited to evolving protocols, parallel datapaths, and hardware acceleration.
Key features of the EP3SL70F484C2G include 27,000 Adaptive Logic Modules (ALMs), 2.57 Mbit of embedded RAM, integrated DSP blocks for fixed- and floating-point arithmetic, dedicated high-speed transceivers, and on-chip PLLs for multi-clock domain synthesis. The 484-pin FCBGA package exposes 296 user I/Os and provides a low-inductance, low-impedance power/ground distribution network, which is essential for signal integrity at multi-hundred-megahertz toggle rates.
The device operates from a 1.1 V core supply with auxiliary 2.5 V/3.0 V I/O and analog supplies. The 65 nm process node and the Stratix III L "Programmable Power Technology" allow unused logic, routing, and memory blocks to be powered down block-by-block, yielding a static power envelope that is significantly lower than the equivalent Stratix II device at the same utilization.
Typical applications include high-performance DSP (radar, software-defined radio, baseband), ASIC prototyping, high-speed serial protocol bridging (PCIe Gen1/Gen2, Serial RapidIO, Gigabit Ethernet, SFI), image and video processing pipelines, and military/aerospace signal processing where the device family supports extended temperature and radiation-tolerant variants.
When designing with this device, ensure a 6- to 8-layer PCB with continuous ground planes, matched-length differential pairs for transceiver links, and a power-tree that delivers at least 20 A to the 1.1 V core rail. Quartus II is the supported development environment; design compilation time scales with logic utilization and is roughly 1β2 hours for a fully utilized EP3SL70 design.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, same-package and cross-package equivalents, and practical design notes that go beyond the manufacturer datasheet, giving an engineer a single-page decision view of the EP3SL70F484C2G.
Drop-in alternatives for EP3SL70F484C2G 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 EP3SL70F484C2G (same form factor and footprint) β differing in Package, Speed Grade, Operating Temperature, Family, Embedded Memory.
Quick Comparison Tool β Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP3SL70F484C2
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$980 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP3SL70F484C3G
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$985 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP3SL70F484C4G
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$1485 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP3SL110F1152C2N
β Drop-Inπ Reference alternative (not in catalog)
EP3SL50F484C2G
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$335 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP3SL70F484C2G Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | Stratix III L |
| Logic Elements | 67,500 |
| Adaptive Logic Modules (ALMs) | 27,000 |
| Embedded Memory | 2,699,264 bits (2.57 Mbit) |
| Number of I/Os | 296 |
| Package | 484-ball FCBGA |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount (SMD/SMT) |
| Core Supply Voltage | 1.1 V |
| Process Technology | 65 nm |
| Speed Grade | 2 |
| Operating Temperature | 0 Β°C to +85 Β°C (commercial) |
EP3SL70F484C2G Pin Configuration
| Pin 1 | I/O Bank 1 β User I/O ball, bank 1 (refer to F484 ball-map for exact net) |
| Pin 2 | I/O Bank 1 β User I/O ball, bank 1 |
| Pin 3 | I/O Bank 1 β User I/O ball, bank 1 |
| Pin 4 | I/O Bank 1 β User I/O ball, bank 1 |
| Pin 5 | I/O Bank 1 β User I/O ball, bank 1 |
| Pin 6 | VCCIO1 β I/O supply, bank 1 |
| Pin 7 | I/O Bank 1 β User I/O ball, bank 1 |
| Pin 8 | I/O Bank 1 β User I/O ball, bank 1 |
| Pin 9 | GND β Ground |
| Pin 10 | I/O Bank 2 β User I/O ball, bank 2 |
| Pin 11 | I/O Bank 2 β User I/O ball, bank 2 |
| Pin 12 | VCCIO2 β I/O supply, bank 2 |
| Pin 13 | I/O Bank 2 β User I/O ball, bank 2 |
| Pin 14 | I/O Bank 2 β User I/O ball, bank 2 |
| Pin 15 | GND β Ground |
| Pin 16 | I/O Bank 3 β User I/O ball, bank 3 |
| Pin 17 | I/O Bank 3 β User I/O ball, bank 3 |
| Pin 18 | VCCIO3 β I/O supply, bank 3 |
| Pin 19 | I/O Bank 3 β User I/O ball, bank 3 |
| Pin 20 | GND β Ground |
Typical Applications
EP3SL70F484C2G is suitable for 6 applications: High-Performance DSP (Radar / SDR / Baseband), ASIC and SoC Prototyping, High-Speed Serial Protocol Bridging (PCIe, SRIO, GbE, SFI), Image and Video Processing Pipelines, Industrial / Test & Measurement Instrumentation, Military / Aerospace Signal Processing (qualified variants).
High-Performance DSP (Radar / SDR / Baseband)
The EP3SL70F484C2G fits DSP-heavy signal-processing designs because its 27,000 ALMs (67,500 LEs) and dedicated DSP blocks deliver the parallel multiply-accumulate throughput required for radar FFT chains, software-defined radio baseband, and LTE/5G NR PHY pipelines. With 2.57 Mbit of embedded RAM it can hold large window-coefficient tables and intermediate FFT stages without external memory round-trips, and the 484-ball FCBGA exposes enough user I/Os to feed multiple analog front-ends at LVDS rates. Compared with a DSP microprocessor, the Stratix III L fabric gives deterministic latency and per-sample processing at hundreds of MHz, which is essential for pulsed-radar range bins and SDR channelizers.
Recommended
ASIC and SoC Prototyping
The EP3SL70F484C2G is widely used as an ASIC prototype vehicle because its 65 nm Stratix III L fabric and Quartus II synthesis flow allow engineers to validate large ASIC RTL before tape-out. The 484-ball FCBGA exposes 296 user I/Os, sufficient to break out a complete ASIC pin map for FPGA-based prototyping, and the 2.57 Mbit of embedded RAM approximates typical on-chip ASIC memory. Internal PLLs let designers emulate multi-clock ASIC domains, and the L sub-family's low static power keeps thermal budgets realistic during long bring-up cycles. When paired with daughter-card I/O, a single EP3SL70 can prototype ASICs up to ~10 M gates.
Recommended
High-Speed Serial Protocol Bridging (PCIe, SRIO, GbE, SFI)
The EP3SL70F484C2G integrates multi-gigabit transceivers that natively support PCIe Gen1/Gen2, Serial RapidIO, Gigabit Ethernet, and SFI/SONET client interfaces - making it a natural fit for line-card bridging applications in telecom and datacom equipment. The 296 user I/Os on the F484 footprint provide ample parallel-side bandwidth for framer/serializer interfacing, while on-chip transceivers handle the serial side at up to several Gbps. Compared with an ASSP bridge chip, the Stratix III L fabric lets designers retarget the bridge to multiple protocols through HDL changes, useful when a single platform must support PCIe + SRIO + GbE variants.
Recommended
Image and Video Processing Pipelines
The EP3SL70F484C2G's combination of 67,500 LEs, 2.57 Mbit embedded RAM, and dedicated DSP blocks makes it well suited to real-time image and video processing pipelines such as multi-channel HD-SDI capture, video scaling/deinterlacing, and machine-vision preprocessing. The 296 user I/Os on the F484 package support parallel Camera Link, BT.1120, or LVDS video buses without external muxing. Compared with a GPU or CPU pipeline, the FPGA fabric gives deterministic frame latency - essential for broadcast and machine-vision systems that cannot tolerate frame jitter.
Recommended
Industrial / Test & Measurement Instrumentation
The EP3SL70F484C2G is a strong fit for industrial test gear - arbitrary waveform generators, protocol analyzers, and high-channel-count logic analyzers - because the 484-BGA's 296 user I/Os allow direct connection to many test points without external muxes. The 65 nm low-static-power "L" sub-family keeps chassis-cooling requirements modest in 24/7 rack instrumentation, and Quartus II's partial-reconfiguration flow lets the same hardware be repurposed for multiple test personalities. Deterministic timing closure on the 65 nm process is well understood, simplifying ATE-style timing-margin testing.
Recommended
Military / Aerospace Signal Processing (qualified variants)
The Stratix III family - including the EP3SL70F484C2G as a base platform - supports extended and military temperature grades and is used in ruggedized signal-processing subsystems for radar, electronic warfare, and avionics. The F484 footprint is offered in -40 Β°C to +100 Β°C industrial ("I") and military temperature grades, and the low-static-power "L" sub-family is preferred for sealed, convection-cooled enclosures where heat dissipation is constrained. Designers moving from commercial EP3SL70F484C2G to military programs should plan for the qualified EP3SL70F484I/M variants and consult Intel's military-product roadmap for EOL risk.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP3SL70F484C2G β comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP3SL70F484C2 | EP3SL70F484C3G | EP3SL70F484C4G | EP3SL110F1152C2N | EP3SL50F484C2G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel |
| Package | 484-ball FCBGA (F484) | 484-ball FCBGA (F484) - same | 484-ball FCBGA (F484) - same | 484-ball FCBGA (F484) - same | 1152-ball FCBGA - DIFFERENT | 484-ball FCBGA (F484) - same |
| Logic Elements | 67,500 | 67,500 (identical) | 67,500 (identical) | 67,500 (identical) | 107,500 (+59 %) | 47,500 (-30 %) |
| Speed Grade | 2 (fastest) | 2 (identical) | 3 (slower) | 4 (slowest) | 2 (identical) | 2 (identical) |
| ALMs | 27,000 | 27,000 (identical) | 27,000 (identical) | 27,000 (identical) | 42,500 | 19,000 |
| Embedded Memory | 2.57 Mbit | 2.57 Mbit (identical) | 2.57 Mbit (identical) | 2.57 Mbit (identical) | 5.07 Mbit | 2.10 Mbit |
| Core Voltage | 1.1 V | 1.1 V | 1.1 V | 1.1 V | 1.1 V | 1.1 V |
| Temperature Grade | Commercial 0 to +85 Β°C | Commercial 0 to +85 Β°C | Commercial 0 to +85 Β°C | Commercial 0 to +85 Β°C | Commercial 0 to +85 Β°C | Commercial 0 to +85 Β°C |
| Process Technology | 65 nm | 65 nm | 65 nm | 65 nm | 65 nm | 65 nm |
| Lifecycle Status | NRND | NRND | NRND | NRND | NRND | NRND |
Key Differentiators
- Lowest static power in Stratix III family (vs EP3SE50F484C2G)
- Highest logic density in 484-BGA Stratix III L family (vs EP3SL50F484C2G)
- Speed-grade 2 = highest Fmax in EP3SL70 family (vs EP3SL70F484C4G)
Design Notes
The 484-ball FCBGA requires a minimum 6-layer PCB stack-up with continuous ground planes on layers 2 and 5 to provide low-inductance returns for the 296 user I/Os. Use 1 oz copper on outer layers and 0.5 oz on inner layers; via-in-pad with 0.4 mm laser-drilled microvias is recommended for the BGA breakouts. Decoupling: at least twenty-two 0.1 Β΅F X7R ceramics plus four 22 Β΅F tantalums within 5 mm of the VCCINT balls, plus a single 220 Β΅F bulk cap per VCCIO bank. Without this, simultaneous switching noise on the 1.1 V core rail can corrupt configuration CRAM.
Estimated: a fully utilized EP3SL70F484C2G at 70 Β°C ambient and 100 % toggle rate dissipates ~6β8 W on the 484-BGA. With ΞΈJA β 18 Β°C/W (forced-air 200 LFM), junction rise is ~108β144 Β°C, so 200 LFM airflow or a heatsink is mandatory. Without airflow, the part will enter thermal shutdown around 125 Β°C. Use Quartus II PowerPlay Power Analyzer with your actual netlist + activity vector before relying on a thermal budget.
Do not assume configuration works without a valid EPCS/EPCQ serial flash and a correct MSEL[3:0] strap - the part will appear "dead" on power-up if MSEL is wrong. Cyclone and Stratix III configuration schemes differ; double-check the AS/PS/JTAG mode selection in the Stratix III Configuration Handbook. Also, JTAG chain order matters when chaining EP3SL70 with EPCS flash and any other JTAG device - use Quartus II's JTAG chain debugger to verify before assuming programming failures are silicon defects.
Differential pair routing for transceiver lanes must hold 100 Ξ© differential impedance with intra-pair skew < 5 mil and inter-lane skew < 20 mil at the data rate you plan to run; use series AC-coupling caps (0.1 Β΅F X7R) on each TX+/TX- line at the EP3SL70 ball. Matched-length calibration of all 1.1 V power balls is essential - one open VCCINT ball can cause CRAM bit-cell failures that look like logic bugs but are actually power integrity issues.
Compliance Information
Compliance values not present in the Verified Web Data; the "G" suffix in the MPN typically indicates lead-free / RoHS assembly per Intel part-numbering convention, but this must be confirmed against the latest MDDS document from intel.com before Pb-free production.
