EP4CGX150DF27I7 - Cyclone IV GX FPGA, 150K LE, 672-FBGA | Intel
MPN: EP4CGX150DF27I7 ✓ Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $588.17 | $588.17 |
| 10 | $555 | $5,550.00 |
| 25 | $530 | $13,250.00 |
| 100 | $495 | $49,500.00 |
| 250 | $460 | $115,000.00 |
EP4CGX150DF27I7 Overview
What is a Cyclone IV GX FPGA? Cyclone IV GX belongs to Intel's low-power, cost-optimized Cyclone IV FPGA family, which itself sits within the broader category of SRAM-based programmable logic (FPGA -> programmable logic -> logic IC -> integrated circuit -> semiconductor). The 'GX' suffix denotes integrated high-speed serial transceivers and protocol IP, distinguishing it from the transceiver-less Cyclone IV E and feature-light Cyclone IV LE families. This combination targets cost-sensitive applications that still require multi-gigabit serial connectivity.
Key features include 149,760 logic elements, 720 embedded 18x18 multipliers, 6,635,520 bits of embedded SRAM distributed across M9K blocks, eight 3.125 Gbps transceivers, and integrated PCI Express hard IP. The 672-pin FBGA package provides a 1.0 mm ball pitch, enabling moderate-density PCB escape routing while still supporting the wide parallel I/O count. Operating junction temperature spans -40 °C to +100 °C for the industrial 'I' speed grade 7 device.
Cyclone IV GX FPGAs are typically used in industrial video bridging, low-cost wireline backplanes, motor control, and protocol-bridging designs where a soft processor plus a few gigabit serial links replace a more expensive ASIC. The protocol-hardened transceivers shorten design cycles versus soft SERDES implementations, and the low static and dynamic power enable fan-less or sealed-enclosure deployments.
When designing with this part, observe the LVDS I/O placement rules from the Cyclone IV GX handbook, place decoupling within the package ball field, and verify PCB stack-up supports the 3.125 Gbps transceiver channel-loss budget. Quartus Prime (or legacy Quartus II) software is required for synthesis, place-and-route, and configuration bitstream generation.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, same-brand Cyclone IV drop-in alternatives, and practical design notes beyond the manufacturer datasheet to support sourcing and second-source decisions for the EP4CGX150DF27I7.
Drop-in alternatives for EP4CGX150DF27I7 — 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 EP4CGX150DF27I7 (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Package, Transceivers, Speed Grade, Operating Temperature, Process Technology.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP4CGX150DF27C8N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$305 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP4CGX150DF27C7N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$171 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP4CGX150DF27C8
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$258.16 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP4CGX150DF27C7
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$390 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP4CGX150DF27C6N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$205 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP4CGX150DF27I7N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$175.6 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP4CGX150DF27I7 Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Device Family | Cyclone IV GX |
| Logic Elements (LEs) | 149,760 |
| Embedded Memory Bits | 6,635,520 (M9K blocks) |
| Embedded Multipliers (18x18) | 720 |
| User I/O Count | 393 |
| Transceivers | Up to 8 channels, 3.125 Gbps |
| Hard Memory Controller | Yes |
| Hard PCI Express | Yes (x1 / x2 Gen1) |
| Process Technology | 60 nm low-power |
| Core Supply Voltage | 1.2 V |
| Package | 672-ball FBGA (F27, 1.0 mm pitch) |
| Operating Junction Temperature | -40 °C to +100 °C (industrial) |
| Speed Grade | 7 |
| Configuration Scheme | Active serial / passive serial / JTAG |
| RoHS Status | Compliant |
| Lead-Free | Yes |
EP4CGX150DF27I7 Pin Configuration
| Pin A1 | VCC — Core supply voltage (1.2 V nominal) |
| Pin A2 | GND — Ground reference |
| Pin B1 | IO — User I/O - bank-dependent single-ended or differential pair |
| Pin B2 | IO — User I/O |
| Pin C1 | IO — User I/O |
| Pin C2 | GXB_TX_p — Transceiver differential transmit positive (bank GXB) |
| Pin D1 | GXB_TX_n — Transceiver differential transmit negative (bank GXB) |
| Pin D2 | GXB_RX_p — Transceiver differential receive positive (bank GXB) |
| Pin E1 | GXB_RX_n — Transceiver differential receive negative (bank GXB) |
| Pin E2 | REFCLK_p — Transceiver reference clock positive |
| Pin F1 | REFCLK_n — Transceiver reference clock negative |
| Pin F2 | nCONFIG — Configuration control (active-low) |
| Pin G1 | nSTATUS — Configuration status (active-low) |
| Pin G2 | CONF_DONE — Configuration done indicator |
| Pin H1 | TMS — JTAG test mode select |
| Pin H2 | TCK — JTAG test clock |
| Pin J1 | TDO — JTAG test data out |
| Pin J2 | TDI — JTAG test data in |
| Pin K1 | CLK_p — Differential clock input positive |
| Pin K2 | CLK_n — Differential clock input negative |
Typical Applications
EP4CGX150DF27I7 is suitable for 6 applications: Industrial Video Bridge / Camera Link, PCI Express Endpoint Card, Gigabit Ethernet Protocol Bridge, Motor Control / Industrial Drive, Software-Defined Radio Front-End, Display Wall Controller / LED Wall Driver.
Industrial Video Bridge / Camera Link
The EP4CGX150DF27I7 is well-suited to industrial video bridge designs such as Camera Link, CoaXPress front-end pre-processing, and HDMI-to-MIPI aggregation, where the 149,760 logic elements and 720 18x18 multipliers provide ample DSP capacity for color-space conversion and Bayer demosaicing at multi-megapixel frame rates. The 3.125 Gbps transceivers enable multi-lane sensor aggregation and long-reach coaxial drive, while 393 user I/Os support parallel LVDS camera interfaces. Compared with a discrete ASSP, the integrated transceiver channels eliminate an external SERDES chip, reducing BOM cost and PCB area in vision-system designs.
Recommended
PCI Express Endpoint Card
The integrated PCI Express hard IP (x1 / x2 Gen1) makes the EP4CGX150DF27I7 ideal for low-cost PCIe endpoint cards such as data-acquisition boards, software-defined-radio front-ends, and industrial I/O cards. The hard PHY eliminates soft SERDES latency and silicon cost, while the 149,760 LEs accommodate DMA engines, custom register interfaces, and protocol-bridge state machines. The 672-FBGA package supports the PCIe edge-connector keep-out plus multiple downstream transceivers for stacked daughter-card topologies in cost-sensitive instrumentation.
Recommended
Gigabit Ethernet Protocol Bridge
For wireline protocol-bridging (e.g., SGMII to RGMII, Ethernet to serial RapidIO) the EP4CGX150DF27I7 integrates gigabit Ethernet PHYs in the transceiver blocks, removing external PHY ICs and shortening BOM. The 6.5 Mbit of M9K memory provides ample buffering for packet reordering, while 393 user I/Os expose parallel MAC interfaces and management GPIO. The industrial temperature grade supports substation automation and factory-floor Ethernet switches that operate continuously at +85 °C ambient without active cooling.
Recommended
Motor Control / Industrial Drive
The EP4CGX150DF27I7 is widely deployed in multi-axis servo drives, where the 720 18x18 multipliers implement field-oriented-control (FOC) and space-vector PWM for three-phase motors. The 672-FBGA provides enough user I/Os to handle encoder interfaces (EnDat, BISS), Hall sensors, and gate-driver PWM channels for up to four axes in a single device. The industrial -40 °C to +100 °C junction range supports outdoor cabinet installations and provides margin for inverter-stage self-heating in servo drives.
Recommended
Software-Defined Radio Front-End
The 8 transceiver channels at up to 3.125 Gbps make the EP4CGX150DF27I7 well matched to cost-sensitive SDR front-ends that down-convert and digitize RF signals before handing I/Q data to a host processor. The 720 DSP blocks implement digital down-conversion (DDC), FIR filtering, and channelization, while the LVDS user I/Os interface to high-speed ADCs and DACs. Combined with PCI Express hard IP, the same FPGA can act as both the RF digitiser and the host bus endpoint, eliminating a bridging ASIC.
Recommended
Display Wall Controller / LED Wall Driver
Large LED video-wall controllers and tiled LCD display walls benefit from the EP4CGX150DF27I7's combination of 393 user I/Os (to drive many parallel LVDS output lanes), 720 multipliers (for gamma correction and pixel-rate scaling), and 6.5 Mbit of embedded memory (for line-buffer storage). The industrial temperature grade supports the elevated ambient of enclosed display cabinets. The 672-FBGA package is large enough to escape dozens of LVDS pairs without requiring HDI PCB stack-up on the main board.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP4CGX150DF27I7 — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP4CGX150DF27C8N | EP4CGX150DF27C7N | EP4CGX150DF27C8 | EP4CGX150DF27C7 | EP4CGX150DF27C6N | EP4CGX150DF27I7N |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Intel (formerly Altera) | Intel (formerly Altera) | Intel (formerly Altera) | Intel (formerly Altera) | Intel (formerly Altera) | Intel (formerly Altera) | Intel (formerly Altera) |
| Package | 672-FBGA (F27) | 672-FBGA (F27) - same | 672-FBGA (F27) - same | 672-FBGA (F27) - same | 672-FBGA (F27) - same | 672-FBGA (F27) - same | 672-FBGA (F27) - same |
| Logic Elements | 149,760 | 149,760 | 149,760 | 149,760 | 149,760 | 149,760 | 149,760 |
| Temperature Grade | Industrial -40 °C to +100 °C | Commercial 0 °C to +85 °C | 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 |
| Speed Grade | 7 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 7 |
| Transceivers (3.125 Gbps) | Up to 8 | Up to 8 | Up to 8 | Up to 8 | Up to 8 | Up to 8 | Up to 8 |
| Embedded Memory | 6,635,520 bits | 6,635,520 bits | 6,635,520 bits | 6,635,520 bits | 6,635,520 bits | 6,635,520 bits | 6,635,520 bits |
| Pin / Ball Count | 672 | 672 | 672 | 672 | 672 | 672 | 672 |
| Lead-Free / RoHS | Yes / Compliant | Yes / Compliant | Yes / Compliant | Yes / Compliant | Yes / Compliant | Yes / Compliant | Yes / Compliant |
Key Differentiators
- Largest-density member of the Cyclone IV GX family (vs EP4CGX110DF27I7N)
- Hard PCI Express Gen1 x1/x2 IP block (vs EP4CE75F29I7N (Cyclone IV E))
- Industrial -40 °C to +100 °C junction grade (vs EP4CGX150DF27C8N (commercial))
Design Notes
Estimated: with a 672-ball FBGA at 1.0 mm pitch, escape-routing requires at least a 6-layer PCB stack-up with micro-via-in-pad (VIP) or stacked-via construction; standard through-via-only escape will fail on the inner rows. Match the ball-pad diameter and NSMD land shape in the Intel package specifications document. Use a high-Tg (Tg >= 150 °C) FR-4 to survive BGA reflow at 245 °C peak and to keep Z-CTE within BGA solder-joint fatigue limits.
Estimated: at 3.125 Gbps, the GXB transceiver channels require 100-ohm differential pairs with intra-pair skew below 5 ps and loss budget below 6 dB at 1.56 GHz - on FR-4 this typically limits trace length to 200-300 mm before pre-emphasis (de-emphasis) is needed. Reference the Cyclone IV GX handbook's transceiver PCB layout guidelines for via stub minimization, AC-coupling capacitor placement (within 200 mil of the receiver), and REFCLK routing rules.
Estimated: at worst-case utilization (~80% LEs, 100% transceivers at 3.125 Gbps), the EP4CGX150DF27I7 dissipates approximately 2.5-3.5 W of total power; with the 672-FBGA theta-JA of roughly 14 °C/W (still-air, JEDEC 4-layer board) the junction-to-ambient rise is ~50 °C - within the 100 °C industrial junction limit when ambient is at +50 °C. For enclosed cabinets with no airflow, either derate utilization to ~60% LEs or add 1-2 m/s of forced air; never rely on the FBGA's exposed-die paddle alone for cooling.
Common pitfalls: (1) attempting to migrate from F23 (FBGA-484) to F27 (FBGA-672) packages without re-running pin assignments - the die is the same but the ball map differs; (2) failing to configure all unused GXB transceiver channels (leave them powered down in Quartus); (3) sharing the same VCCIO bank between 3.3 V LVTTL and 2.5 V LVDS - all I/O in a bank must use a common VCCIO; (4) using commercial-grade parts (C8N/C7N) in industrial cabinets - check the operating-temperature spec, not just the marketing 'industrial' label.
Compliance Information
RoHS and lead-free per Intel product page; AEC-Q100 not applicable (FPGA, not automotive-qualified discrete). Conflict-minerals status per Intel CMRT. Halogen-free status not explicitly confirmed in available distributor data.
