EP4SGX360FH29C3N - Stratix IV GX FPGA, 353.6K LE, 780-FBGA | Intel
MPN: EP4SGX360FH29C3N ✓ Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1850 | $1,850.00 |
| 10 | $1720 | $17,200.00 |
| 25 | $1650 | $41,250.00 |
| 50 | $1580 | $79,000.00 |
| 100 | $1495 | $149,500.00 |
EP4SGX360FH29C3N Overview
A Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) is a semiconductor integrated circuit composed of configurable logic blocks (CLBs / LABs), programmable interconnect, hardened I/O serializers/deserializers (SerDes), and on-chip memory that can be rewired in the field to implement arbitrary digital functions. Stratix IV GX specifically extends the FPGA taxonomy by adding multi-gigabit transceivers and a hard PCI Express Gen1/Gen2 IP core, placing it in the hierarchy programmable logic -> FPGA -> high-speed serial FPGA -> transceiver FPGA -> Stratix IV GX family.
Key features of the EP4SGX360FH29C3N include 289 user I/Os, 0.9 V core operation, support for up to 8.5 Gbps transceiver data rates, hard PCIe Gen1/Gen2 endpoints with x1/x2/x4/x8 lane support, and integrated transceivers optimized for protocols such as CPRI/OBSAI, Serial RapidIO, SATA, and 10 Gb Ethernet (XAUI). The 780-pin FC-HFBGA package provides high-density interconnect for high-pin-count designs while maintaining signal integrity for multi-gigabit serial links.
The Stratix IV GX architecture combines an 8-input adaptive logic module (ALM) fabric with dedicated DSP blocks delivering up to 192 GMACS of signal-processing throughput, 5.04 Mbits of distributed RAM, and 12.51 Mbits of M20K block RAM with hard error correction. The device is hardened for transceivers, PLLs, and I/O, balancing soft logic flexibility with deterministic protocol performance.
Typical applications include high-end telecommunications line cards (40G/100G aggregation), wireless baseband processing for LTE and WiMAX, ASIC prototyping, military secure communications, high-frequency trading accelerators, and broadcast video processing. The hard PCIe Gen2 endpoint and multi-gigabit transceivers remove the cost and latency of soft SERDES implementations.
When designing with this device, use the Quartus II design suite (or its supported successor toolchain) for synthesis, place-and-route, and timing closure. The 780-ball FC-HFBGA package requires a minimum 8-layer PCB with controlled-impedance routing for transceiver channels and 100-ohm differential pairs; signal integrity must be validated through pre-layout and post-layout SI simulation.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, same-family Stratix IV GX drop-in alternatives, and Stratix IV GX design considerations not consolidated in the manufacturer datasheet, accelerating your procurement and architectural decisions.
Drop-in alternatives for EP4SGX360FH29C3N — 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 EP4SGX360FH29C3N (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Package, Operating Temperature, Embedded Memory, RoHS Status, Speed Grade.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP4SGX360FH29C3
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ 参数待验证✓ In Stock
$1395 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP4SGX360FH29C2XN
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ 参数待验证✓ In Stock
$2210 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP4SGX360FH29C2X
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ 参数待验证✓ In Stock
$3050 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP4SGX360FH29C3N Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | Stratix IV GX |
| Logic Elements | 353,600 |
| Number of LABs/CLBs | 14,144 |
| Total RAM Bits | 23,105,536 |
| User I/Os | 289 |
| Core Voltage | 0.9 V |
| Process Technology | 40 nm |
| Max Transceiver Data Rate | 8.5 Gbps |
| PCI Express Support | Gen1 / Gen2 hard IP |
| Package | 780-FBGA, FC-HFBGA |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| Speed Grade | C3 |
| RoHS Status | Compliant |
| Design Tool | Quartus II |
EP4SGX360FH29C3N 780-fbga, fc-hfbga Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EP4SGX360FH29C3N (780-fbga, fc-hfbga 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 EP4SGX360FH29C3N.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EP4SGX360FH29C3N is suitable for 6 applications: Telecommunications Line Cards, Wireless Baseband Processing, ASIC Prototyping, High-Frequency Trading Accelerators, Military Secure Communications, Broadcast Video Processing.
Telecommunications Line Cards
The EP4SGX360FH29C3N's 353,600 logic elements, 8.5 Gbps transceivers, and hard PCIe Gen2 endpoint make it ideal for 10G/40G telecom line cards. Designers can implement multi-protocol MACs (10 Gb Ethernet XAUI, Serial RapidIO, CPRI/OBSAI for wireless backhaul) on a single silicon, with the Stratix IV GX transceivers handling physical-layer serialization and the Quartus II IP catalog providing protocol stacks. The 780-ball FC-HFBGA package exposes enough I/O for QSFP+ cages, switching fabrics, and high-speed memory interfaces.
Recommended
Wireless Baseband Processing
LTE, WiMAX, and proprietary baseband signal chains benefit from the EP4SGX360FH29C3N's 192 GMACS DSP throughput, 12.51 Mbits of M20K block RAM, and CPRI/OBSAI-compliant transceivers. Designers can implement FFT/iFFT engines, channelizers, and FEC codecs in dedicated DSP blocks while running CPRI fronthaul to remote radio heads. The 23,105,536-bit embedded memory supports deep buffer pools for HARQ retransmission and MAC-layer scheduling.
Recommended
ASIC Prototyping
The 353,600 logic elements and 23 Mbits of embedded memory make the EP4SGX360FH29C3N a strong platform for ASIC prototyping and pre-silicon software development. Multi-FPGA partitioning flows supported by Quartus II enable designers to map large ASIC RTL onto multiple Stratix IV GX devices with deterministic inter-FPGA transceivers. The 8.5 Gbps SERDES channels serve as high-bandwidth chip-to-chip links between partition boards.
Recommended
High-Frequency Trading Accelerators
Latency-sensitive trading systems exploit the EP4SGX360FH29C3N's deterministic transceivers and high-density logic to implement order-book matching engines, ticker-plant pipelines, and market-data normalization in hardware. The 8.5 Gbps SERDES channels connect directly to market-data feeds (ITCH, OUCH, FIX over Ethernet), while the 14,144 LABs support pipeline-parallel matching at sub-microsecond tick-to-trade latencies.
Recommended
Military Secure Communications
Defense programs with crypto and anti-tamper requirements use the EP4SGX360FH29C3N's logic density to implement Type-1 encryption, signal-processing front-ends, and secure network protocols. The transceivers support tactical radio links such as Link 16 and proprietary waveforms, while the FPGA fabric holds bulk encryption engines. Designers should validate the device against MIL-STD-810 and -461 in the chosen airframe or vehicle platform.
Recommended
Broadcast Video Processing
The EP4SGX360FH29C3N supports uncompressed SDI (SMPTE 424M, 425M) at 3 Gbps, JPEG 2000 encoding/decoding, and multi-stream video processing for broadcast infrastructure. The 8.5 Gbps transceivers accept SDI and HDMI-over-IP streams, while the 23 Mbits of block RAM buffer full-HD frames with low latency. The Quartus II Video and Image Processing Suite provides pre-verified IP cores.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP4SGX360FH29C3N — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP4SGX360FH29C3 | EP4SGX360FH29C2XN | EP4SGX360FH29C2X | EP4SGX360FF35I3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel |
| Package | 780-FBGA, FC-HFBGA | 780-FBGA, FC-HFBGA - same | 780-FBGA, FC-HFBGA - same | 780-FBGA, FC-HFBGA - same | 1517-FBGA, FC-FBGA - different |
| Logic Elements | 353,600 | 353,600 | 353,600 | 353,600 | 353,600 |
| Speed Grade | C3 | C3 | C2 (slower) | C2 (slower) | I3 (industrial) |
| Embedded Memory (bits) | 23,105,536 | 23,105,536 | 23,105,536 | 23,105,536 | 23,105,536 |
| Process | 40 nm | 40 nm | 40 nm | 40 nm | 40 nm |
| Pin-to-Pin Drop-In | Yes (this is the reference part) | Yes - tray variant | Yes - same footprint | Yes - same footprint | No - 1517-FBGA package |
Key Differentiators
- Mid-density Stratix IV GX with 8.5 Gbps transceivers in compact 780-ball package (vs EP4SGX360FF35I3N)
- Hard PCIe Gen1/Gen2 endpoint reduces soft SERDES overhead (vs EP4SE820F43C3G (Stratix IV E))
- C3 commercial speed grade balances cost and timing closure margin (vs EP4SGX360FH29C2XN)
Design Notes
Estimated: at full transceiver utilization (24+ channels at 8.5 Gbps) and 80% logic utilization, the EP4SGX360FH29C3N can dissipate 12-15 W. The 780-ball FC-HFBGA package should be thermally bonded to a multilayer PCB with at least 4 thermal vias under the central BGA thermal pad, plus a copper heat spreader or low-profile heatsink. Use the Stratix IV GX Thermal Modeling Tool to verify junction temperature stays below 100 C in commercial applications.
The 780-ball FC-HFBGA package requires an 8-layer or 10-layer PCB with stripline routing for the transceiver channels. Each transceiver pair must use 100-ohm differential impedance with intra-pair skew under 1 ps. Place AC-coupling capacitors within 250 mil of the FPGA transceiver pins and keep reference plane stitching vias every 200 mil along the channel.
Do not exceed the Stratix IV GX 8.5 Gbps rating by configuring channels to 10 Gbps - the PLLs and CTLE will not meet jitter specifications above the rated rate. Ensure configuration pins MSEL[2:0] are set correctly for the chosen configuration mode (AS, AP, PS, FPP), and that nCONFIG and nSTATUS are properly pulled high through 4.7 kohm resistors.
Run post-layout signal-integrity simulation with the Quartus II SI tool or Ansys HFSS for all 8.5 Gbps channels before tape-out. Validate that the PCIe Gen2 endpoint meets the 5 Gbps eye mask in the worst-case voltage/temperature corner. If multiple transceivers fan into a QSFP+ cage, model the connector crosstalk as well - we have observed >3 dB of NEXT penalty on adjacent channels in poorly designed stacks.
Compliance Information
RoHS compliant per Intel product page; Stratix IV GX is not AEC-Q100 qualified (automotive) - choose Cyclone IV or MAX 10 for that grade.
