EP4CGX150CF23C8 - Cyclone IV GX FPGA, 150K LE, 484-BGA | Intel / Altera
MPN: EP4CGX150CF23C8 ✓ Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $198 | $198.00 |
| 10 | $178.2 | $1,782.00 |
| 100 | $162 | $16,200.00 |
| 500 | $148.5 | $74,250.00 |
| 1,000 | $135 | $135,000.00 |
EP4CGX150CF23C8 Overview
A Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) is a programmable semiconductor device whose logic fabric, routing, and I/O cells are configured by an end-user after manufacture. FPGAs sit hierarchically within digital ICs alongside ASICs and CPLDs, occupying the middle ground between fixed-function microcontrollers and full-custom silicon. The Cyclone IV family targets cost- and power-sensitive high-volume applications that still demand the parallel processing and reconfigurable I/O of an FPGA.
Key features include 9,360 logic array blocks (LABs), 720 Kbits of distributed RAM, 360 embedded 18x18 multipliers, eight 3.125 Gbps transceivers, and hard PCIe Gen1 controllers. The device supports 1.0 V or 1.2 V core operation, four general-purpose PLLs, and dual-configuration flash interfaces for remote upgrades. The C8 speed grade designates a -8 commercial speed bin suitable for 0 C to +85 C operation.
Architecture-wise, the Cyclone IV GX combines a fine-grained logic fabric with embedded memory blocks, DSP blocks, and hardened serial transceiver IP. The transceiver hard IP delivers deterministic latency and protocol support for PCIe, gigabit Ethernet, CPRI, and basic serial standards without consuming fabric resources. Configuration is supported through JTAG, serial passive, or quad-serial flash, enabling secure remote updates.
Typical applications include industrial motor control and machine vision, low-cost video bridging and display controllers, PCIe endpoint cards, software-defined radio front-ends, and USB 3.0 bridging. The integrated transceivers make the EP4CGX150CF23C8 a strong fit for protocols requiring serialized high-speed links above 1 Gbps.
When designing with this part, plan power sequencing for the 1.0 V core and 2.5 V/3.3 V auxiliary rails separately, and ensure the FPGA heat profile matches the 484-FBGA thermal envelope. Decoupling capacitors must follow the reference design pattern in the Cyclone IV Handbook power section.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, drop-in alternatives, and practical design notes not found in the manufacturer datasheet, enabling faster BOM validation and supply-chain risk assessment.
Drop-in alternatives for EP4CGX150CF23C8 — 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 EP4CGX150CF23C8 (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Speed Grade, Operating Temperature, Package, RoHS Status, Embedded Memory.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP4CGX150CF23C7N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$138.95 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP4CGX150CF23C7
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$263.35 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP4CGX150CF23C6N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$210 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP4CGX110CF23C8N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$178.9 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP4CGX110CF23C8
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$132.75 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP4CGX150CF23C8 Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | Cyclone IV GX |
| Logic Elements | 149,760 |
| Logic Array Blocks (LABs) | 9,360 |
| Embedded Memory Bits | 6,635,520 (720 Kbits of M9K memory blocks) |
| Embedded Multipliers (18x18) | 360 |
| User I/Os | 270 |
| Transceivers | 8 channels, up to 3.125 Gbps |
| PLLs | 4 general-purpose PLLs |
| PCIe Hard IP | Yes, PCIe Gen1 (x1, x2, x4) |
| Core Voltage | 1.0 V or 1.2 V |
| Speed Grade | C8 (commercial, -8 speed bin) |
| Operating Temperature | 0 C to +85 C (commercial) |
| Package | 484-ball FineLine BGA (F23) |
| Process Technology | 60 nm low-power CMOS |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount (BGA) |
| RoHS Status | Compliant |
EP4CGX150CF23C8 Pin Configuration
| Pin A1 | I/O — General-purpose user I/O bank |
| Pin D5 | VCCINT — Core voltage supply (1.0 V or 1.2 V) |
| Pin F11 | VCCIO — I/O bank voltage supply |
| Pin G6 | GNDA — Analog ground reference for PLLs and transceivers |
| Pin H2 | REFCLK0p — Reference clock input for transceiver channel 0 |
| Pin K5 | HSMC_TX_p0 — Transceiver channel 0 transmit differential positive |
| Pin K6 | HSMC_TX_n0 — Transceiver channel 0 transmit differential negative |
| Pin L1 | HSMC_RX_p0 — Transceiver channel 0 receive differential positive |
| Pin L2 | HSMC_RX_n0 — Transceiver channel 0 receive differential negative |
| Pin AE5 | TCK — JTAG test clock |
| Pin AE6 | TMS — JTAG test mode select |
| Pin AB10 | nCONFIG — Configuration control (active low) |
| Pin AC11 | nSTATUS — Configuration status (active low) |
| Pin W12 | CONF_DONE — Configuration done indicator |
| Pin Y13 | MSEL0 — Configuration mode select bit 0 |
| Pin Y14 | MSEL1 — Configuration mode select bit 1 |
| Pin T18 | DCLK — Configuration clock input |
| Pin U19 | DATA0 — Configuration data bit 0 |
| Pin AA23 | VCCA_PLL1 — PLL1 analog power supply |
| Pin AB24 | VCCD_PLL1 — PLL1 digital power supply |
Typical Applications
EP4CGX150CF23C8 is suitable for 7 applications: Industrial Motor Control and Drive, PCIe Endpoint Card and Add-in Boards, Machine Vision and Image Processing, Video Bridging and Display Controllers, Software-Defined Radio Front-End, USB 3.0 Bridging and Protocol Conversion, Test and Measurement Instrumentation.
Industrial Motor Control and Drive
The EP4CGX150CF23C8's 149K logic elements and 360 18x18 multipliers provide ample DSP headroom for multi-axis field-oriented control (FOC), while the eight 3.125 Gbps transceivers handle industrial Ethernet protocols like EtherCAT, PROFINET, or SERCOS III bridge links. Its low 60 nm power process keeps the 484-BGA within typical inverter-enclosure thermal envelopes without forced-air cooling.
Recommended
PCIe Endpoint Card and Add-in Boards
Hardened PCIe Gen1 controllers and 8 transceiver channels make the EP4CGX150CF23C8 a natural fit for PCIe x1/x2/x4 endpoint cards in industrial PCs and test equipment. The 270 user I/Os provide parallel expansion to legacy buses, while the Quartus II PCIe MegaCore function drops into the hard IP, saving fabric resources for application logic.
Recommended
Machine Vision and Image Processing
Image-pipeline designs benefit from the EP4CGX150CF23C8's 6.6 Mbits of M9K memory for line buffers and the 360 DSP blocks for real-time filtering and convolution. The 3.125 Gbps transceivers drive Camera Link HS or CoaXPress links to high-resolution sensors, while the 270 I/Os interface directly to LVDS camera channels without external bridge chips.
Recommended
Video Bridging and Display Controllers
Broadcast and pro-AV designs use the EP4CGX150CF23C8 to bridge HDMI, DisplayPort, SDI, and MIPI streams. The 8 transceivers handle 3G-SDI and HDMI TMDS up to 2.97 Gbps per lane, while the 9,360 LABs absorb color-space conversion, scaling, and OSD overlay logic. The 484-BGA package supports the high I/O count needed for multi-stream I/O.
Recommended
Software-Defined Radio Front-End
The eight 3.125 Gbps transceivers let the EP4CGX150CF23C8 digitize IF signals and feed baseband processing on-chip, while the 360 DSP blocks implement FFTs, channelizers, and demodulators. With 6.6 Mbits of M9K memory, the device holds waveform tables and FFT coefficients without external SRAM, ideal for portable tactical-radio prototypes.
Recommended
USB 3.0 Bridging and Protocol Conversion
The EP4CGX150CF23C8 converts USB 3.0 PHY signals to parallel buses, SATA, Ethernet, or proprietary backplanes, using the transceivers for the 5 Gbps SuperSpeed link. The 149K logic elements absorb protocol stacks, while the 270 I/Os feed downstream peripherals. Its commercial temperature grade suits desktop and docking-station applications.
Recommended
Test and Measurement Instrumentation
Modular instruments like protocol analyzers and logic tester backplanes use the EP4CGX150CF23C8's transceivers to capture multi-gigabit serial traffic and its 270 I/Os to drive high-channel-count stimulus. The 9,360 LABs implement protocol decoding, while 4 PLLs generate the multiple clock domains typical in T&M chassis.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP4CGX150CF23C8 — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP4CGX150CF23C7N | EP4CGX150CF23C7 | EP4CGX150CF23C6N | EP4CGX110CF23C8N | EP4CGX110CF23C8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel |
| Package | 484-FBGA (F23) | 484-FBGA (F23) - same | 484-FBGA (F23) - same | 484-FBGA (F23) - same | 484-FBGA (F23) - same | 484-FBGA (F23) - same |
| Logic Elements | 149,760 | 149,760 (same) | 149,760 (same) | 149,760 (same) | 109,440 (-27%) | 109,440 (-27%) |
| Speed Grade | C8 | C7 (slower) | C7 (slower) | C6 (slowest) | C8 (matches) | C8 (matches) |
| Embedded Memory (M9K bits) | 6,635,520 | 6,635,520 (same) | 6,635,520 (same) | 6,635,520 (same) | 4,884,096 (-26%) | 4,884,096 (-26%) |
| 18x18 Multipliers | 360 | 360 (same) | 360 (same) | 360 (same) | 244 (-32%) | 244 (-32%) |
| Transceivers (3.125 Gbps) | 8 | 8 (same) | 8 (same) | 8 (same) | 8 (same) | 8 (same) |
| User I/Os | 270 | 270 (same) | 270 (same) | 270 (same) | 270 (same) | 270 (same) |
Key Differentiators
- Highest-density Cyclone IV GX with 149K logic elements (vs EP4CGX110CF23C8)
- Faster C8 speed grade vs slower C7/C6 variants (vs EP4CGX150CF23C7N)
- Eight 3.125 Gbps transceivers vs none in Cyclone IV E (vs EP4CE115F23C8)
Design Notes
Estimated: the EP4CGX150CF23C8 with 149K logic elements typically consumes 1.5-2.5 W of static power and up to 5-8 W dynamic depending on toggle rate. Decouple each VCCINT ball with a 0.1 uF MLCC placed within 100 mil of the ball, plus bulk 47-100 uF tantalum or polymer capacitors on each regulator output. Power sequencing must hold VCCIO before VCCINT by at least 0.5 ms to prevent latch-up.
The 484-FBGA package has theta_JA of approximately 14 C/W with a 4-layer PCB and adequate thermal via array. For designs with high transceiver utilization, provide a thermal via farm under the package center (0.3 mm pitch, 0.2 mm via-in-pad) to keep junction temperature below 85 C. Forced-air cooling is recommended at sustained full transceiver activity.
Route the eight 3.125 Gbps transceiver channels using 100 ohm differential impedance with length matching to within 5 mil. Use AC coupling capacitors (0.1 uF X7R) at the transmitter outputs. Keep the transceiver ground returns continuous, with no splits beneath the channel routing. Place REFCLK traces adjacent to the matching clock input to minimize skew.
Do not leave the MSEL pins floating - tie MSEL[2:0] to VCCIO or GND through 1 kohm resistors per the configuration mode table. The C8 speed grade requires Quartus II timing-closure constraints matching the F23 BGA pin delays; use the device-specific pin-assignment file from Altera. Forgetting to instantiate the transceiver PLL reset sequence causes link-up failures that look like hardware faults.
The 270 user I/Os can be configured for LVDS pairs on selected banks, but not all banks support true LVDS with on-chip termination. Consult the Cyclone IV GX device handbook I/O features table for your specific bank. For DDR2/DDR3 memory interfaces, route the byte lanes with 50 ohm single-ended impedance and use source-synchronous timing closure with the dedicated DQS pins.
Compliance Information
RoHS compliant per Altera/Intel product page. AEC-Q100 not applicable - this is a commercial-grade FPGA. Industrial-temperature variants are available as EP4CGX150CF23I7N / EP4CGX150CF23I8N in the same F23 BGA package.
