EP1AGX20CF780C6N - Arria GX FPGA, 21K LE, FBGA-780 | Intel
MPN: EP1AGX20CF780C6N ✗ End of Life| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $56.6 | $56.60 |
| 10 | $52.4 | $524.00 |
| 100 | $47.85 | $4,785.00 |
| 500 | $43.2 | $21,600.00 |
| 1,000 | $38.95 | $38,950.00 |
Drop-in alternatives for EP1AGX20CF780C6N — same package, pin-to-pin compatible. Different-package parts requiring PCB rework are excluded.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP1AGX20CF780C6
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$175.4 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP1AGX20CF780C5N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$305 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP1AGX20CF780I6N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$295 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP1AGX60DF780C6N
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
EP1AGX20CF780C6N Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | Arria GX |
| Logic Elements | 21,580 |
| Logic Array Blocks (LABs) | 1,079 |
| Embedded Memory (bits) | 1,229,184 |
| User I/O Pins | 341 |
| Number of Transceivers | 4 (integrated multi-gigabit) |
| Max Transceiver Data Rate | 3.125 Gbps |
| Core Voltage | 1.2 V |
| Process Technology | 90 nm |
| Speed Grade | C6 (commercial) |
| Temperature Grade | Commercial (0 C to +85 C) |
| Package Type | FBGA-780 (29 x 29 mm, 1.0 mm pitch) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| Lead-Free / RoHS | Lead free |
| Configuration Modes | PS, FPP, AS, JTAG |
EP1AGX20CF780C6N fbga-780 (29 x 29 mm, 1.0 mm pitch) Pin Configuration Guide
Complete pinout information for EP1AGX20CF780C6N (fbga-780 (29 x 29 mm, 1.0 mm pitch) package) with 341 pins. 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 EP1AGX20CF780C6N.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Estimated pin count: 341 pins (digital package)
Safe Operating Area (SOA) & Thermal Characteristics
No official SOA curve available for this digital IC. Always operate within absolute maximum ratings specified in the datasheet. Ensure adequate cooling and derate as needed.
Typical Applications
EP1AGX20CF780C6N is suitable for 6 applications: PCI Express Gen1 Endpoint Cards, Gigabit Ethernet Aggregation / Bridging, Broadcast Video Processing Engines, Software-Defined Radio Baseband / DSP Co-Processing, Industrial Camera and Machine Vision Frame Grabbers, Multi-Protocol Backplane SERDES Bridges.
PCI Express Gen1 Endpoint Cards
The EP1AGX20CF780C6N's four 3.125 Gbps transceivers make it a strong fit for PCI Express Gen1 (2.5 Gbps) endpoint cards in cost-sensitive servers, video capture cards, and industrial I/O. Its 21,580 logic elements comfortably host the standard PCIe protocol stack plus a user application such as 4-lane DMA, packet processing, or image buffering, while 1.2 Mbits of on-chip RAM provides FIFO buffering between the PCIe engine and application logic. The commercial temperature grade (0-85 C) suits typical chassis environments. Use the Altera PCIe Compiler megacore within Quartus II to access the integrated PIPE interface and shorten time-to-prototype.
Recommended
Gigabit Ethernet Aggregation / Bridging
With 3.125 Gbps transceivers and sufficient logic to encode/decode 1000BASE-X and 10GBASE-R MACs, the EP1AGX20CF780C6N is commonly used in multi-port gigabit Ethernet switches and protocol bridges. A typical 4-port gigabit switch with frame buffering fits within 20K logic elements and 1.2 Mbits of block RAM, leaving headroom for an embedded Nios II management CPU. Designers benefit from the transceiver CDR/PMA eliminating external PHY parts, reducing BOM cost and PCB area. Industrial networks using EtherCAT or PROFINET also leverage these same transceivers and deterministic soft-logic timing.
Recommended
Broadcast Video Processing Engines
The 21,580 logic elements and 14 dedicated 18x18 multipliers support SDI/HD-SDI video processing pipelines including color-space conversion, scaling, deinterlacing, and frame-rate conversion at 1080i or 720p. Memory bandwidth from the on-chip RAM and external DDR2 controllers accommodates multiple line buffers, while 341 user I/O pins allow direct interfacing to multiple parallel video busses and DVI/HDMI serializers. The 90 nm Arria GX family was specifically designed with broadcast video OEMs as a target application, so reference designs and IP are widely available in the literature.
Recommended
Software-Defined Radio Baseband / DSP Co-Processing
The 14 dedicated DSP blocks of 18x18 multipliers each run at up to 250 MHz, yielding aggregate multiply-accumulate throughput of 3.5 GMACs - sufficient for UMTS/HSPA channel-card processing, DVB-T demodulator baseband, or generic DSP co-processing paired with a host DSP or ARM CPU. The 1.2 Mbits of dual-port RAM holds coefficients and ping-pong samples. Multi-gigabit transceivers connect directly to ADC/DAC JESD-style interfaces on newer front ends, or to legacy parallel interfaces on legacy radio designs. The C6 speed grade comfortably meets typical 122.88 MHz sample-rate timing.
Recommended
Industrial Camera and Machine Vision Frame Grabbers
For industrial machine-vision cameras and frame-grabber cards, the EP1AGX20CF780C6N provides the SERDES links to Camera Link, CoaXPress, or GigE Vision receivers, plus the logic for color interpolation, Bayer demosaicing, and JPEG/H.264 compression at typical 1-2 megapixel resolutions. 341 user I/Os make parallel Camera Link Base/Medium/Full implementations feasible. The device's 3.3 V tolerant I/O with programmable drive strength simplifies interfacing to legacy industrial sensors. Fan-out to multiple industrial protocols is supported with on-chip LVDS transceivers for high-speed serial control links.
Recommended
Multi-Protocol Backplane SERDES Bridges
The four multi-gigabit transceivers running at 1 Gbps to 3.125 Gbps support simultaneously running SERDES protocols including Serial RapidIO, XAUI (4-lane 10 GigE), and Aurora for point-to-point chip-to-chip backplane links. The EP1AGX20CF780C6N therefore serves as a flexible multi-protocol bridge between ASICs, ASSPs, and DSP clusters in telecom infrastructure such as ATCA or MicroTCA cards. The large 341-pin package reserves the IO necessary to maintain LVCMOS side-band control channels. Reference designs for Serial RapidIO and XAUI are available in the Altera IP catalog.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP1AGX20CF780C6N — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP1AGX20CF780C6 | EP1AGX20CF780C5N | EP1AGX20CF780I6N | EP1AGX60DF780C6N | EP1AGX20CF484C6N |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) |
| Package | FBGA-780 (29x29 mm, 1.0 mm pitch) | FBGA-780 - same | FBGA-780 - same | FBGA-780 - same | FBGA-780 - same | FBGA-484 - different footprint |
| Family | Arria GX | Arria GX | Arria GX | Arria GX | Arria GX | Arria GX |
| Logic Elements | 21,580 | 21,580 | 21,580 | 21,580 | ~60,000 | 21,580 |
| User I/O Pins | 341 | 341 | 341 | 341 | 517 | [DATA_NEEDED: ~230] |
| Number of Transceivers | 4 (3.125 Gbps) | 4 (3.125 Gbps) | 4 (3.125 Gbps) | 4 (3.125 Gbps) | 12 (3.125 Gbps) | [DATA_NEEDED] |
| Operating Temperature | Commercial 0C to +85C | Commercial | Commercial | Industrial -40C to +100C | Commercial | Commercial |
| Lifecycle Status | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete |
Key Differentiators
- Lowest-cost Arria GX member with full SERDES (vs EP1AGX60DF780C6N)
- Industrial temperature option in same footprint (vs EP1AGX20CF780I6N)
- Same package across speed grades simplifies inventory (vs EP1AGX20CF780C5N)
Design Notes
The FBGA-780 flip-chip package requires at least eight PCB layers with continuous VCCINT_1.2V and GND planes, and exact 1.0 mm ball pitch pads with 0.5 mm finished hole/diameter vias-in-pad under the BGA array. Use at minimum HDI microvia stack-ups (e.g., 1+N+1). Decoupling must place 100 nF X7R within 100 mil of every VCCINT/VCCPD pin and bulk 10 uF X5R on each power plane. Series resistors on JTAG TCK/TMS/TDI/TDO reduce signal overshoot on long programming cables.
Each multi-gigabit transceiver channel pair (GXB_RX[0]+/-, GXB_TX[0]+/-, etc.) must be routed as a 100-ohm differential pair with length matching of 150 mil or less between P and N. Use AC-coupling capacitors (10 nF X7R) on TX outputs and RX inputs. Reference the Altera AN 480: High-Speed Board Design for Transceiver-Based FPGAs for stack-up, via placement, and connector recommendations. Failure to control impedance will close the eye diagram and prevent link bring-up.
Estimated: typical 1.2V VCCINT core current at maximum utilization of 21,580 LE plus 4 active transceivers is ~1.5 to 2.0 A, while VCCIO current depends on I/O bank count and toggle rate but can exceed 1.0 A. Use a minimum 4-layer regulator arrangement (LDO for noise plus switching pre-regulator) per the Arria GX PowerPlay early estimator. JTAG IDCODE must be loaded from the SOF file before any passive serial configuration to avoid MSEL sampling errors at boot. Refer to the configuration handbook section 9 for boot sequence debugging.
Compliance Information
Lead-free per verified distributor listing (FBGA-780, lead-free designation). RoHS status reported compliant by Arrow and DigiKey. REACH, halogen-free, and conflict-mineral declarations not explicitly listed for this obsolete part - consult Intel product compliance page for the most current statement.
