EP4CGX50DF27I7N - Cyclone IV GX FPGA, 49,888 LE, 672-FBGA | Altera
MPN: EP4CGX50DF27I7N ✓ Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $248.86 | $248.86 |
| 10 | $230.5 | $2,305.00 |
| 100 | $199.85 | $19,985.00 |
| 500 | $175.2 | $87,600.00 |
| 1,000 | $155.4 | $155,400.00 |
EP4CGX50DF27I7N Overview
An FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) is a semiconductor device containing configurable logic blocks (CLBs), programmable interconnects, and dedicated hard IP blocks such as transceivers, PLLs, and memory controllers. FPGAs occupy the digital logic hierarchy between general-purpose microcontrollers (which run firmware on fixed hardware) and ASICs (which are application-specific and cannot be reprogrammed). Within Intel's portfolio, the Cyclone IV family sits below the high-end Stratix series and targets cost- and power-sensitive volume applications such as industrial control, video bridging, and wireless backhaul.
Key features of the EP4CGX50DF27I7N include eight 3.125 Gbps transceiver channels, support for PCI Express Gen1 (x1, x2, x4) hard IP, dedicated DDR/DDR2/QDRII memory interfaces, and up to 129 DSP blocks for fixed- and floating-point acceleration. The Cyclone IV GX family also integrates 2 PLLs per device quadrant and supports both commercial (0 C to 85 C) and industrial (-40 C to 100 C) operating temperature grades, of which the I7 suffix denotes industrial-grade.
Architecturally, the EP4CGX50DF27I7N uses an SRAM-based configuration cell that loads its bitstream from external flash through passive serial, fast passive parallel, or JTAG modes. The 3.125 Gbps transceivers are hard IP blocks operating independently of the programmable fabric, providing deterministic latency and low jitter suitable for serial RapidIO, Gigabit Ethernet, SMPTE SDI, and PCIe Gen1 endpoint designs.
Typical applications include industrial motor control, video surveillance and image processing, low-cost wireline bridges, wireless remote radio heads, USB 3.0/2.0 firmware bridges, and PCIe endpoint add-in cards. The combination of transceivers and DSP resources also makes the device suitable for software-defined radio (SDR) front-end signal conditioning and for smart-grid communication gateways.
When designing with this part, pay close attention to PCB layout for the 672-ball FBGA: use microvia stack-ups on the top two layers, match BGA escape trace lengths within 25 mil, and provide four decoupling capacitor values (10 uF, 1 uF, 100 nF, 10 nF) per power pin group. The Quartus II / Quartus Prime design toolchain from Intel is required for synthesis, place-and-route, and bitstream generation.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing as of 2026-09-10, drop-in and speed-grade alternatives, and practical PCB layout notes that are not duplicated on the manufacturer datasheet.
Drop-in alternatives for EP4CGX50DF27I7N — 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 EP4CGX50DF27I7N (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Package, Embedded Memory, Operating Temperature, Speed Grade, Transceivers.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP4CGX50DF27I6N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$52.75 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP4CGX50DF27C8N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$49.1 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP4CGX50DF27C7N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$58.6 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP4CGX50DF23I8N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$60 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP4CGX50CF23I8N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$54 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP4CGX50DF27I7N Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Series | Cyclone IV GX |
| Device Logic Elements | 49,888 |
| Number of LABs/CLBs | 3118 |
| Total RAM Bits | 2,562,048 |
| Number of I/O | 310 (max user I/O) |
| Number of Transceivers | 8 |
| Transceiver Data Rate | 3.125 Gbps |
| Core Voltage | 1.15 V to 1.25 V (typ. 1.2 V) |
| I/O Supply Voltage | 1.2 V to 3.3 V |
| Operating Temperature (Industrial) | -40 C to +100 C |
| Package | 672-BGA (FBGA, 27x27 mm) |
| Number of Pins/ Balls | 672 |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| Maximum Internal Clock Frequency | 472.5 MHz |
| DSP Blocks | 129 (18x18 multipliers) |
| PLLs | 8 (2 per quadrant, fractional capable) |
| Configuration Memory | SRAM-based (external flash) |
| RoHS Status | Compliant |
| Lead-Free / Halogen-Free | Yes (per Altera product page) |
| MSL Level | 3 (168 hours, per JEDEC J-STD-020) |
EP4CGX50DF27I7N 672-bga (fbga, 27x27 mm) Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EP4CGX50DF27I7N (672-bga (fbga, 27x27 mm) 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 EP4CGX50DF27I7N.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EP4CGX50DF27I7N is suitable for 6 applications: Industrial Motor Control, Video Surveillance and Image Processing, Wireless Remote Radio Head (RRH) Baseband, PCIe Endpoint Add-In Cards, Software-Defined Radio (SDR) Front-End, Low-Cost Wireline Bridge / Protocol Converter.
Industrial Motor Control
The EP4CGX50DF27I7N is well suited for industrial motor control because it combines 49,888 LEs for encoder decoding and field-oriented control (FOC) state machines with 129 DSP blocks for sine/cosine PWM generation and Park/Clarke transforms. The 3.125 Gbps transceivers accept high-speed resolver feedback and the industrial -40 C to +100 C temperature grade tolerates factory-floor enclosure temperatures without derating. Eight dedicated PLLs provide the multiple phase-aligned clocks required for PWM, ADC sampling, and EtherCAT communication. Compared with microcontrollers, the FPGA delivers deterministic cycle latency, allowing sub-microsecond current-loop closure at 50 kHz PWM rates.
Recommended
Video Surveillance and Image Processing
The EP4CGX50DF27I7N's 129 DSP blocks and 2.56 Mbit embedded memory deliver real-time video pipeline throughput for HD-SDI or HDMI surveillance cameras and DVRs. Each 18x18 multiplier handles pixel-level convolution operations, while the 3.125 Gbps transceivers accept SMPTE 424M (3G-SDI) input streams without external PHY hardware. According to Altera video reference designs, the FPGA can implement H.264 encoding for 720p30 streams in a single device. The 672-ball FBGA exposes enough user I/O to drive parallel CMOS image sensors at 1080p60 throughput.
Recommended
Wireless Remote Radio Head (RRH) Baseband
In wireless remote radio head designs, the EP4CGX50DF27I7N's 8 transceivers running CPRI up to 3.072 Gbps provide the fronthaul link between the radio equipment controller and the antenna-mounted RF unit. The 49,888 LEs implement digital up/down conversion (DUC/DDC), crest-factor reduction (CFR), and digital pre-distortion (DPD) for 4G LTE small-cell deployments. The Cyclone IV GX power-optimized 60 nm process reduces total RRH power consumption to a level compatible with passive cooling in outdoor enclosures, a critical requirement when the radio is mounted behind the antenna.
Recommended
PCIe Endpoint Add-In Cards
The EP4CGX50DF27I7N includes a hard PCIe Gen1 IP block that supports x1, x2, and x4 endpoint configurations, saving approximately 5,000 LEs compared to a soft PCIe implementation. This makes the part attractive for low-cost data acquisition cards, software-defined radio receivers, and industrial I/O expansion boards. The integrated transceivers provide the PCIe serial link directly, and the 672-ball FBGA exposes 310 user I/O for external interface connectors. Quartus Prime generates a complete PCIe reference design with TLPs and MSI interrupt handling, shortening development time to weeks rather than months.
Recommended
Software-Defined Radio (SDR) Front-End
The Cyclone IV GX EP4CGX50DF27I7N provides an attractive SDR front-end platform by combining 8 transceiver channels at 3.125 Gbps with 129 DSP blocks. The DSP blocks perform digital down-conversion, filtering, and FFT processing for narrowband and wideband signals below 100 MHz of instantaneous bandwidth, suitable for HF/VHF/UHF receiver applications. The industrial temperature grade allows deployment in rugged portable radios for public safety and military use. With a companion 16-bit ADC such as the AD9467, the FPGA delivers complete IF-sampling receiver functionality in a single board.
Recommended
Low-Cost Wireline Bridge / Protocol Converter
The EP4CGX50DF27I7N serves as a flexible protocol bridge between legacy industrial buses (RS-485, CAN, SPI, I2C) and modern serial interfaces (Gigabit Ethernet, USB 3.0, PCIe) in factory-automation gateways. The 49,888 LEs allow multi-master protocol stacks to run concurrently, while the embedded RAM (2.56 Mbit) buffers traffic bursts at wire speed. Designers can use Altera's Qsys system-integration tool to instantiate Nios II soft processors for protocol handling and expose them as PCIe or Ethernet endpoints to the host. Industrial temperature grading supports outdoor cabinet mounting in substation and railway deployments.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP4CGX50DF27I7N — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP4CGX50DF27I6N | EP4CGX50DF27C8N | EP4CGX50DF27C7N | EP4CGX50DF23I8N | EP4CGX50CF23I8N |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Altera | Altera | Altera | Altera | Altera | Altera |
| Package | 672-FBGA (DF27) | 672-FBGA (DF27) - same | 672-FBGA (DF27) - same | 672-FBGA (DF27) - same | 484-FBGA (DF23) | 484-FBGA (CF23) |
| Logic Elements | 49,888 | 49,888 | 49,888 | 49,888 | 49,888 | 49,888 |
| Number of Transceivers | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Max User I/O | 310 | 310 | 310 | 310 | ~290 | ~290 |
| Speed Grade | 7 (industrial) | 6 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 |
| Temperature Grade | Industrial (-40C to +100C) | Industrial (-40C to +100C) | Commercial (0C to 85C) | Commercial (0C to 85C) | Industrial (-40C to +100C) | Industrial (-40C to +100C) |
| DSP Blocks | 129 | 129 | 129 | 129 | 129 | 129 |
Key Differentiators
- Industrial temperature grade with high-speed bin (vs EP4CGX50DF27C7N)
- Maximum I/O count in 672-ball FBGA (vs EP4CGX50CF23I7N)
- Hard PCIe Gen1 IP block (vs EP4CE55F29I7N)
Design Notes
The 672-ball FBGA uses a 1.0 mm ball pitch with a 27x27 mm body. According to Altera's Cyclone IV GX hardware reference, use a 1-2-1 or 1-2-2-2 microvia stack-up with via-in-pad on the top two signal layers for fanout. Match length of all high-speed transceiver pairs within 25 mil and route reference-clock and transceiver data pairs on the same layer to minimize skew. Place four decoupling values (10 uF bulk, 1 uF, 100 nF, 10 nF) within 100 mil of every power pin group.
Estimated: at maximum transceiver utilization (8 channels at 3.125 Gbps with PRBS31 pattern) and 70% logic utilization at 472.5 MHz, total device power consumption approaches 4-5 W. With the 672-ball FBGA theta_JA of approximately 14 C/W (still air, JEDEC test board), junction temperature rise above ambient is 56-70 C. For industrial-temperature applications targeting +85 C ambient, provide at least 4 thermal vias in a 3x3 array under the central BGA balls and ensure the PCB bottom layer provides a continuous copper pour directly under the device. Forced-air cooling is recommended for sustained 100% transceiver utilization.
Three common pitfalls when bringing up the EP4CGX50DF27I7N: (1) do not leave MSEL[3:0] floating - tie them to a defined 4-bit pattern (e.g., 0000 for fast passive parallel x8) at board level; (2) the nCONFIG pin must see a clean 10 kohm pull-up to VCCIO of the configuration bank, otherwise the device may enter a continuous reconfiguration loop; (3) transceiver reference clocks must be AC-coupled and meet the Cyclone IV GX jitter specification (typical 1.5 ps RMS) - a noisy oscillator will cause bit-error rates even at nominal 3.125 Gbps.
All 3.125 Gbps transceiver pairs require 100 ohm differential impedance with intra-pair skew below 1 ps/mm and inter-pair length matching within 25 mil, per Altera's Cyclone IV GX hardware guidelines. Use a continuous ground reference plane under transceiver routes; avoid routing across plane splits. Series AC-coupling capacitors of 100 nF must be placed on each TX line near the FPGA output; place them within 1 inch of the device BGA ball and use 0402 or smaller to minimize parasitic inductance.
Compliance Information
RoHS and lead-free compliance confirmed on Altera (Intel) product ordering part number page for the Cyclone IV GX family. AEC-Q100 qualification is not applicable for this part; consult Intel automotive FPGA product lines (Cyclone V and later) for AEC-Q100 Grade 1 or Grade 2 qualified equivalents.
