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Altera_Forum
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10 years ago

Sizing an FPGA

I'm looking at picking an FPGA for a design, but don't want to go too far in overkill on the size/complexity of the FPGA. The core functionality that I would like for it to have: DRAM memory in...
Altera_Forum's avatar
Altera_Forum
Icon for Honored Contributor rankHonored Contributor
10 years ago

Does cost come into your equation here for device selection? For your requirements I'd recommend you consider Cyclone IV E (over Cyclone V). Cyclone IV is a very widely available family with many device size and package options.

As Pete suggested MAX10 has limited availability and, because it's relatively new, you're still paying a premium. Low end Cyclone IV parts, which will do everything you want, are cheaper than MAX10 at present. Cyclone IV proved to be one of Altera's more popular families too. So, it's not going to go away any time soon (if you're concerned about longevity). I'd be tempted to suggest MAX10 has greater 'complexity' than Cyclone IV E anyway...

Quartus is free for these families. So, you have all the tools you need at your disposal. Put a design together and let Quartus choose the part for you. Then play around with the device settings - changing families and packages - until you find a balance of device size/complexity/price that suits you.

Cheers,

Alex