MAX 7000S Power Consumption
T E C H N I C A L B R I E F 3 4 F E B R U A R Y 1 9 9 8
M-TB-034-02
ALTERA MEGAFUNCTION PARTNERS PROGRAM
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Altera® MAX® 7000S devices offer high density, high performance, and advanced features, such as in-system programmability (ISP) and a programmable power-saving mode. These power-saving devices are competitively priced, and they are supported by the industry-leading MAX+PLUS® II development system.
This technical brief discusses the power consumption and cost advantages of MAX 7000S devices and compares them to Lattice ispLSI 2000 devices.
Power Consumption for 5.0-V Devices
Altera Applications recently compared 5.0-V MAX 7000S and Lattice ispLSI 2000 devices with 64 and 128 macrocells. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, Altera EPM7064S and EPM7128S devices consumed 30% less power than Lattice ispLSI2064 and ispLSI2128 devices, respectively.
Figure 1. ispLSI2064 vs. EPM7064S Power Consumption, Note (1)
Note:
(1) Source: Altera 1998 Data Book and Lattice 1997 Data Book.
Figure 2. EPM7128S vs. ispLSI2128 Power Consumption, Note (1)
Note:
(1) Source: Altera 1998 Data Book and Lattice 1997 Data Book. 0
100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800
20
0 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 900
Frequency (MHz) Power
(mW)
ispLSI2064
EPM7064S (Turbo)
EPM7064S (Non-Turbo)
0 200 400 600 800 1,000 1,200 1,400 1,600
20
0 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 Frequency (MHz)
Power (mW)
ispLSI2128
EPM7128S (Turbo)
EPM7128S (Non-Turbo)
2 Altera Corporation
In the study, the power consumption advantage of MAX 7000S devices was even more pronounced when the devices operated in non-turbo mode (i.e., when the Turbo Bit™ option was turned off). Figures 1 and 2 illustrate power consumption when the output pins were either all set to turbo mode or non-turbo mode and represent the upper and lower ranges of power consumption. During a typical application, MAX 7000S devices will consume power between the turbo and non-turbo ranges. Lattice does not offer a non-turbo mode option.
Power Consumption for 3.3-V Devices
Altera Applications also compared the power consumption of 3.3-V EPM7032V and ispLSI2032V devices.
As shown in Figure 3, Altera EPM7032V devices consumed 50% less power than Lattice ispLSI2032V devices.
Figure 3. EPM7032V vs. ispLSI20302V Power Consumption, Note (1)
Note:
(1) Source: Altera 1998 Data Book and Lattice 1997 Data Book.
Even when Altera 5.0-V devices were compared with Lattice 3.3-V devices, the Altera devices used considerably less power. For example, Figures 4 and 5 compare the power consumption of Altera’s 5.0-V MAX 7000S and Lattice’s 3.3-V ispLSI 2000V devices with 128 and 64 macrocells. Typical applications consume power between the turbo and non-turbo ranges. As shown in these figures, 5.0-V MAX 7000S devices provide a competitive alternative to Lattice’s 3.3-V ispLSI 2000V devices.
Figure 4. EPM7128S vs. ispLSI2128V Power Consumption, Note (1)
Note:
(1) Source: Altera 1998 Data Book and Lattice 1997 Data Book. 0
50 100 150 200 250 300
10
0 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 Frequency (MHz)
Power (mW)
ispLSI2032V
EPM7032V (Turbo)
EPM7032V (Non-Turbo)
100
0 200 400 600 800 1,000 1,200
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 Frequency (MHz)
Power (mW)
ispLSI2128V
EPM7128S (Turbo)
EPM7128S (Non-Turbo)
Copyright 1998 Altera Corporation. Altera, MAX, MAX+PLUS, MAX+PLUS II, Turbo Bit, MAX 7000, MAX 7000S, EPM7032S, EPM7064S, EPM7128S are trademarks and/or service marks of Altera Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. Other brands or products are trademarks of their respective holders. All rights reserved.
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Figure 5. EPM7064S vs. ispLSI2064V Power Consumption, Note (1)
Note:
(1) Source: Altera 1998 Data Book and Lattice 1997 Data Book.
Cost Advantages
MAX 7000S devices are available at lower prices than ispLSI 2000 devices (see Table 1). In fact, Altera’s 128-macrocell EPM7128S device costs significantly less than Lattice’s 96-macrocell ispLSI2096 device.
Thus, EPM7128S devices provide more macrocells at a lower price.
Notes:
(1) Source: Arrow/Marshall web sales listing, February 1, 1998 and Altera first quarter 1998 price list.
(2) Prices based on 100-unit quantities.
The documents listed below provide more detailed information and are available in the Altera 1998 Data Book.
■ MAX 7000 Programmable Logic Device Family Data Sheet
■ AN 74: Evaluating Power in Altera Devices
You can request these documents from:
■ Altera Literature Services at (888) 3-ALTERA
■ World-wide web site at http://www.altera.com
■ Your local Altera sales representative
Table 1. Price Comparison of MAX 7000S & ispLSI 2000 Devices, Notes (1), (2)
Lattice Altera Percent Difference
Device Device Cost Device Device Cost
ispLSI2064 $10.00 EPM7064S $4.50 122%
ispLSI2096 $14.75 EPM7128S $10.00 48%
ispLSI2128 $20.00 EPM7128S $10.00 100%
0 100 200 300 400 500 600
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 Frequency (MHz)
Power (mW)
ispLSI2064V
EPM7064S (Turbo)
EPM7064S (Non-Turbo)
