5CEFA9F23I7N vs 5CEFA4F23C7N

The 5CEFA9F23I7N and 5CEFA4F23C7N are both Intel (formerly Altera) Cyclone V FPGAs in the same 484-pin FBGA package (F23). The primary differences are logic density, speed grade, and operating temperature range. The 5CEFA9F23I7N offers higher logic density (approximately 301K logic elements) and is rated for industrial temperature range (-40°C to 100°C junction), while the 5CEFA4F23C7N has lower logic density (approximately 49K logic elements) and is rated for commercial temperature range (0°C to 85°C junction).

Both devices are offered in the same 484-pin FBGA package (F23), which means they share the same physical footprint and ball grid. However, pin-to-pin compatibility in terms of function depends on the specific I/O assignments and transceiver configurations defined in the design. Designers must verify pin assignments against the respective device pinout files and datasheets before considering a swap.

The 5CEFA9F23I7N belongs to the Cyclone V E A9 density grade, which provides approximately 301,000 logic elements (LEs). The 5CEFA4F23C7N belongs to the Cyclone V E A4 density grade, which provides approximately 49,000 LEs. This represents roughly a six-fold difference in logic capacity, making the A9 device suitable for significantly more complex designs.

In the part number 5CEFA9F23I7N, the "I7" indicates an industrial temperature grade (-40°C to 100°C junction) and speed grade 7. In 5CEFA4F23C7N, the "C7" indicates a commercial temperature grade (0°C to 85°C junction) and speed grade 7. Both devices share the same speed grade 7, but differ in their rated operating temperature ranges.

No. Although both devices share the same 484-pin FBGA package, they differ in logic density, temperature grade, and potentially in available hard IP blocks and I/O resources. A drop-in replacement would require a complete redesign, recompilation, and validation of the FPGA configuration, as well as verification that the target application's logic utilization fits within the smaller A4 device and that the commercial temperature range is acceptable.

Both the 5CEFA9F23I7N and 5CEFA4F23C7N are Cyclone V E family devices and support a similar range of I/O standards and transceiver capabilities as defined by the Cyclone V device family. However, the number of available transceiver channels, PLLs, and memory blocks may differ between density grades. Designers must consult the Cyclone V Device Handbook and the respective device pinout files to confirm exact resource availability for each specific part number.

The 5CEFA9F23I7N is rated for industrial temperature range (-40°C to 100°C junction), making it more suitable for industrial, automotive, and high-reliability applications that require extended temperature operation. The 5CEFA4F23C7N is rated for commercial temperature range (0°C to 85°C junction) and is better suited for consumer or office-grade environments where temperature extremes are not a concern.

Both the 5CEFA9F23I7N and 5CEFA4F23C7N support standard Cyclone V configuration schemes, including active serial (AS), passive serial (PS), fast passive parallel (FPP), and JTAG configuration. Configuration data is stored in external flash memory or provided by an external host. The configuration file size differs between the two devices due to the difference in logic density, so the external configuration memory must be sized accordingly.