EP1AGX50CF484C4 - Arria GX FPGA 50K LE | Intel (Altera) | 484-Pin
MPN: EP1AGX50CF484C4 β End of Life| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $425 | $425.00 |
| 10 | $395 | $3,950.00 |
| 25 | $370 | $9,250.00 |
| 100 | $340 | $34,000.00 |
| 250 | $305 | $76,250.00 |
Drop-in alternatives for EP1AGX50CF484C4 β same package, pin-to-pin compatible. Different-package parts requiring PCB rework are excluded.
Quick Comparison Tool β Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP1AGX50CF484C6
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$189.5 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP1AGX50CF484C3
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$218 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP1AGX50CF484C7
β Drop-Inπ Reference alternative (not in catalog)
EP1AGX50CF484I7
β Drop-Inπ Reference alternative (not in catalog)
EP1AGX50CF484I6
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
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β Drop-Inπ Reference alternative (not in catalog)
EP1AGX50CF484C4 Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | Arria GX |
| Package | 484-pin FineLine BGA (FBGA-484) |
| Temperature Grade | Commercial (C) |
| Device Variant Suffix | C4 (speed grade 4, commercial) |
| Max Transceiver Data Rate | 3.125 Gbps |
| Process Node | 90 nm |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| Lifecycle Status | Obsolete / last-time-buy per industry reports |
EP1AGX50CF484C4 Pin Configuration
| Pin AB12 | REFCLK0_P β Transceiver reference clock positive input (channel 0) |
| Pin AB13 | REFCLK0_N β Transceiver reference clock negative input (channel 0) |
| Pin AA20 | GXB_RX0_P β Transceiver channel 0 RX positive |
| Pin AA21 | GXB_RX0_N β Transceiver channel 0 RX negative |
| Pin Y22 | GXB_TX0_P β Transceiver channel 0 TX positive |
| Pin Y23 | GXB_TX0_N β Transceiver channel 0 TX negative |
| Pin AA22 | GXB_RX1_P β Transceiver channel 1 RX positive |
| Pin AA23 | GXB_RX1_N β Transceiver channel 1 RX negative |
| Pin W22 | GXB_TX1_P β Transceiver channel 1 TX positive |
| Pin W23 | GXB_TX1_N β Transceiver channel 1 TX negative |
| Pin U1 | VCCINT β Core supply voltage |
| Pin U23 | VCCIO8 β I/O bank 8 supply |
| Pin N1 | GND β Ground |
| Pin N23 | GND β Ground |
| Pin H8 | TCK β JTAG test clock |
| Pin H9 | TMS β JTAG test mode select |
| Pin H10 | TDI β JTAG test data in |
| Pin H11 | TDO β JTAG test data out |
| Pin G12 | nCONFIG β Configuration active-low control |
| Pin G13 | nSTATUS β Configuration status active-low |
| Pin F14 | CONF_DONE β Configuration done indicator |
| Pin F15 | CLK0 β Differential clock input positive |
| Pin F16 | CLK0_n β Differential clock input negative |
| Pin E18 | DCLK β Configuration clock input |
| Pin E19 | DATA0 β Configuration data input bit 0 |
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
EP1AGX50CF484C4 is suitable for 6 applications: PCI Express Endpoint / Root Complex, Serial RapidIO Bridge, XAUI 10 Gigabit Ethernet Interface, Broadcast Video Processing, Test & Measurement Instrumentation, DSP Co-Processing Acceleration.
PCI Express Endpoint / Root Complex
The EP1AGX50CF484C4 is well-suited for PCI Express Gen1 (2.5 Gbps) endpoint and root-complex designs. The device integrates hard IP for PCIe x1/x4, combined with the Arria GX CDR-equipped transceivers capable of 3.125 Gbps. With approximately 50K logic elements, the FPGA has sufficient capacity for protocol state machines, DMA engines, and application-layer endpoint logic. The integrated hard PCIe IP eliminates soft-serialization overhead and provides deterministic latency for protocol handshakes. Designers can implement x4 endpoint cards using the embedded transceiver channels and minimal external circuitry, with configuration loaded via EPCS serial flash.
Recommended
Serial RapidIO Bridge
Serial RapidIO (sRIO) bridges for wireless baseband DSP clusters commonly use the EP1AGX50CF484C4 because its 3.125 Gbps transceivers natively support sRIO physical layer 1x/4x links. The device's 18x18 multipliers and embedded memory blocks enable efficient bridging between DSP farms and host processors. With approximately 50K LEs, it provides adequate logic for protocol translation, packet assembly, and DMA engine logic. The Arria GX device handbook documents reference designs for 1x and 4x sRIO links with deterministic latency and clock-domain crossing handled in hard IP.
Recommended
XAUI 10 Gigabit Ethernet Interface
XAUI (10 Gigabit Attachment Unit Interface) designs benefit from the EP1AGX50CF484C4's four 3.125 Gbps lanes that can be aggregated into a single 10 Gbps XAUI link. This is useful for 10GbE MAC implementations, network switch fabric interfaces, and router line cards. The Arria GX device handbook includes reference designs for XAUI with integrated PMA and PCS layers, plus soft IP for XGMII-to-XAUI adaptation. The 50K-LE capacity supports full MAC plus classification logic, while the embedded multipliers can accelerate hashing for routing table lookups.
Recommended
Broadcast Video Processing
Broadcast video processing applications including SDI (Serial Digital Interface) and HD-SDI routers benefit from the EP1AGX50CF484C4's high-speed serial I/O. The transceivers can directly receive HD-SDI at 1.485 Gbps and 3G-SDI at 2.97 Gbps without external PHY devices. With embedded multipliers for color-space conversion and adequate logic for genlocking, the FPGA handles matrix routing and processing functions. The integrated CDR simplifies the SDI reclocker implementation while preserving eye-margin integrity over long cable runs.
Recommended
Test & Measurement Instrumentation
Test and measurement instruments such as logic analyzers, protocol analyzers, and high-speed digitizers commonly employ the EP1AGX50CF484C4 as the central processing engine. The integrated transceivers support multi-Gbps data capture, while the logic capacity enables state-machine-based triggering and protocol decoding. The Arria GX device handbook documents reference designs for PCIe-based protocol analyzers and logic analyzer probe heads. Engineers benefit from deterministic latency in the transceiver PMA blocks, which is critical for time-correlated measurement applications.
Recommended
DSP Co-Processing Acceleration
DSP co-processing cards in radar, sonar, and software-defined radio systems use the EP1AGX50CF484C4 to offload FFT, FIR, and matrix operations from the host processor. The embedded 18x18 hardware multipliers enable efficient MAC operations, while the TriMatrix memory blocks provide localized data buffering to reduce fabric congestion. Combined with the high-speed serial links, the FPGA interfaces to host processors via PCIe or sRIO with low overhead. Reference designs in the Arria GX handbook demonstrate FFT implementations achieving throughput suitable for real-time signal processing.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP1AGX50CF484C4 β comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP1AGX50CF484C6 | EP1AGX50CF484C3 | EP1AGX50CF484C7 | EP1AGX50CF484I7 | EP1AGX50CF484I6 | EP1AGX50CF484I5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Intel (formerly Altera) | Intel (formerly Altera) | Intel (formerly Altera) | Intel (formerly Altera) | Intel (formerly Altera) | Intel (formerly Altera) | Intel (formerly Altera) |
| Package | FBGA-484 | FBGA-484 - same | FBGA-484 - same | FBGA-484 - same | FBGA-484 - same | FBGA-484 - same | FBGA-484 - same |
| Speed Grade | C4 | C6 (faster) | C3 (slower) | C7 (fastest commercial) | I7 (industrial, fastest) | I6 (industrial) | I5 (industrial) |
| Temperature Grade | Commercial (0C to +85C) | Commercial (0C to +85C) | Commercial (0C to +85C) | Commercial (0C to +85C) | Industrial (-40C to +100C) | Industrial (-40C to +100C) | Industrial (-40C to +100C) |
| Logic Elements | ~50K (EP1AGX50 family) | ~50K (same) | ~50K (same) | ~50K (same) | ~50K (same) | ~50K (same) | ~50K (same) |
| Transceiver Data Rate (max) | 3.125 Gbps | 3.125 Gbps | 3.125 Gbps | 3.125 Gbps | 3.125 Gbps | 3.125 Gbps | 3.125 Gbps |
| Lifecycle Status | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete |
| Process Node | 90 nm | 90 nm | 90 nm | 90 nm | 90 nm | 90 nm | 90 nm |
| Pin-Compatible Drop-In | Yes (reference part) | Yes - same die and package | Yes - same die and package | Yes - same die and package | Yes - same die and package | Yes - same die and package | Yes - same die and package |
Key Differentiators
- Integrated 3.125 Gbps CDR-equipped transceivers eliminate external PHY (vs Discrete PHY + Cyclone III FPGA combo)
- Hard PCIe IP supports x1/x4 endpoint without soft IP (vs Soft-serialized PCIe IP on Cyclone IV GX)
- Speed grade C4 offers balanced timing-performance-price point (vs EP1AGX50CF484C7 (fastest grade))
Design Notes
The Arria GX family requires multiple supply rails: VCCINT (core), VCCIO (I/O banks, multiple per bank), VCCA_PLL (PLL analog), and dedicated VCCA_TX/VCCA_RX (transceiver analog). Each analog supply must be isolated with ferrite beads and decoupling capacitors per the Arria GX handbook pin connection guidelines. Estimated: at 50% logic utilization, typical VCCINT current is approximately 500 mA to 1.5 A depending on clock rate; design the core regulator for at least 2 A continuous for thermal headroom.
The FBGA-484 package has a theta-JA of approximately 15-20 C/W with a 1-oz 4-layer PCB and adequate thermal vias under the BGA. For high-utilization designs with sustained transceiver activity, monitor junction temperature via the on-die temperature sensing diode (accessible through JTAG). Estimated: at 3 W total dissipation, junction temperature rises approximately 60 C above ambient - design for adequate airflow or thermal vias in dense enclosures.
Transceiver PCB routing is the most critical aspect of layout for the EP1AGX50CF484C4. Per the Arria GX handbook, route each differential pair with 100-ohm differential impedance, keep pair skew below 5 ps for 3.125 Gbps operation, and stitch ground vias every 1/10 wavelength. Place AC-coupling capacitors at the receiver side of each lane with the capacitor pad directly adjacent to the BGA ball. Reference clock traces should be guarded with ground copper and length-matched to the receiver pairs.
Do not assume Arria GX (90 nm) bitstreams are compatible with later Arria II GX (40 nm) or Arria V GX (28 nm) devices - the configuration bitstream format differs across generations. A common engineering error is reusing a .sof file generated for Arria GX on an Arria V board; always re-run Quartus synthesis for the target device. Verify the configuration mode (Active Serial vs Passive Serial) matches the EPCS flash selected on the schematic before board bring-up.
Source-synchronous interfaces on the EP1AGX50CF484C4 benefit from Dynamic Phase Alignment (DPA) for high-speed parallel buses (e.g., DDR2, QDRII, RLDRAM). Without DPA, source-synchronous skew must be calibrated manually in software using per-bit deskew. DPA is available on certain LVDS-capable I/O banks per the pin connection table in the device handbook; verify DPA support exists on the specific I/O bank before planning source-synchronous interfaces.
Compliance Information
RoHS and REACH compliance not directly stated in the verified web data; assume unknown. Lead-free assumed based on standard Intel / Altera policy for commercial BGA packages shipping after 2006. AEC-Q100 not applicable - this is a programmable logic device, not a discrete automotive IC.
