Hello,
I would like to build a 1GBit/s data encryptor/decryptor using an FPGA chip, but I have a big problem with an appropriate chip. It should contain about 3000LE, 70 IO pins and at least
12 dual-port RAM blocks (I need two read ports per block) configurable as 512x8 banks. Additionally, it should be Flash-based or SRAM-based with encrypted bitstream. And must be cheap. Here are the options I know of:
- Altera Cyclone 1C3-8. It is perfectly suited for my needs, and is very cheap. There is extremely good design software available. But it can't be used: it's totally unsecure.
- Actel ProASIC+: flash-based and cheap, but their memory blocks are not big enough and have only one read port. Terribly bad software quality.
- Actel ProASIC3: good, moderately expensive but not yet available.
- Lattice XP: unknown price, unknown availability, technically suitable, I've heard many bad opinions about Lattice, but personally I have no experience with their chips.
- Xilinx Virtex4: too powerful and thus probably much too expensive, good availability, very good support [:-)], software quality unknown, but probably comparable to Quartus.
Could you please write something about remaining options?
Best regards Piotr Wyderski