MAX 7000S Power Consumption
TECHNICA L
B R I E F
34
FEBRUARY
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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)
900
800
ispLSI2064
700
600
EPM7064S (Turbo)
Power 500
(mW) 400
300
EPM7064S (Non-Turbo)
200
100
0
0
20
40
60
80 100 120 140 160 180
Frequency (MHz)
Note:
(1)
Source: Altera 1998 Data Book and Lattice 1997 Data Book.
Figure 2. EPM7128S vs. ispLSI2128 Power Consumption, Note (1)
1,600
1,400
1,200
ispLSI2128
EPM7128S (Turbo)
Power 1,000
(mW)
800
600
400
200
EPM7128S (Non-Turbo)
0
0
20
40
60
80 100 120 140 160 180
Frequency (MHz)
Note:
(1)
Source: Altera 1998 Data Book and Lattice 1997 Data Book.
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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)
300
ispLSI2032V
250
200
Power
(mW)
150
EPM7032V (Turbo)
100
EPM7032V (Non-Turbo)
50
0
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
90 100
80
Frequency (MHz)
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)
1,200
EPM7128S (Turbo)
1,000
800
Power
(mW)
ispLSI2128V
600
EPM7128S (Non-Turbo)
400
200
0
0
20
40
60
80 100 120 140 160 180
Frequency (MHz)
Note:
(1)
2
Source: Altera 1998 Data Book and Lattice 1997 Data Book.
Altera Corporation
Figure 5. EPM7064S vs. ispLSI2064V Power Consumption, Note (1)
600
EPM7064S (Turbo)
500
400
Power
(mW)
ispLSI2064V
300
EPM7064S (Non-Turbo)
200
100
0
0
20
40
60
80 100 120 140 160 180
Frequency (MHz)
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.
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%
Notes:
(1)
(2)
Source: Arrow/Marshall web sales listing, February 1, 1998 and Altera first quarter 1998 price list.
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
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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