Stratix II vs Virtex 4

through-put data

production

with a

V4 and

Howdy Keith,

If you register the output of the BRAM, then yes, it's probably faster. Otherwise, probably not. Do you need that much speed? You didn't really give any design info (target speeds, device/design size, etc).

There was a considerable "debate" on comp.arch.fpga last month about the power differences between the S2 and V4, and while I am positive that the Virtex-4 static power is lower, I am less convinced that when a high speed design is running in the device that is well utilized, the total power will be THAT much different between the two. Device size factors into the power equation as well.

In short, he _might_ be right on any or all accounts, but until you actually have a price quote in your hand from each vendor for a selected part, and target your design to get design speeds, and run the power estimators for each, it is too close to call, IMO.

The ISERDES and OSERDES are quite neat features though, and when combined with the no-brainer local routing and clock divider, may make a compelling sell on its own.

Good luck,

Marc

Keith,

The power story is a very good one, and we have the data to prove it.

When the chip is actually operating (only time you would care), the junction temoerature is bound to increase.

Then the static power different really stands out (>2X improvement, worst case, typically 4X better).

The dynamic interconnect power for the two is equal.

Our dynamic BRAM power is half that in S2. That can be a few watts in a DSP design.

The DSP48 when arranged to use the internal dedicated cascading paths has 1/8th the power of the S2 solution.

Bottom line: a high, end fast DSP design may disspate half the power in V4 over S2. And the junction temperature will be at least 15 degress lower (for equivalent heatsinks) making heatsinking or airflow less costly as well.

That is why we are taking previously "won" sockets away from S2 for G4 basestations. Heat is the #1 enemy of all wired and wireless network equipment, because heat means energy, and energy means more batteries, and less holdover time, and more air conditioning costs in the central office, and more failures in the field.

We also have the SX25, SX35, and SX55 which are optimized for DSP applications, to provide a lower cost part to get the same amount of DSP resources. There is NO COMPETITION AT ALL from Altera here: it DOESN'T EVEN EXIST.

Austin

I disagree with every claim in Austin's post, which may be a new record. Rather than debate them here in text form yet again, I'd encourage those interested in real power data and comparisons to attend the Power Net Seminar I'm presenting on Thursday, March 24 at 11 am Pacific Standard Time.

I'll be providing a lot of detailed power comparisons between Stratix II and Virtex 4, using both measured data and the published estimators and specifications of both companies. As well, I'll provide a first look at HardCopy II power, and show you the power reductions you can expect from it.

To register (free of course), see

Hope to see you there,

Vaughn [v b e t z (at) altera.com]