Altera Cyclone V SX Ordering Codes Guide

Cyclone V SX combines an Arm-based hard processor system with 3.125-Gbps transceivers, so its orderable part number contains both SoC and transceiver fields. Altera's Figure 5 sample 5CSXFC6D6F31C6LN reads as 5C | SX | F | C6 | D | 6 | F | 31 | C | 6 | L | N.

That sequence identifies Cyclone V, the SX SoC variant, embedded hard IP, C6 density, nine transceiver channels, transceiver speed grade 6, FineLine BGA, 896 pins, commercial temperature, FPGA fabric speed grade 6, low-power option and lead-free packaging. A shortened description such as 5CSXC6 cannot identify the transceiver count, footprint or qualified grade.

Open the full-size Cyclone V SX ordering diagram and zoom.

Decode 5CSXFC6D6F31C6LN field by field #

Density, transceiver count and speed are separate #

Cyclone V SX member codes C2, C4, C5 and C6 represent approximately 25K, 40K, 85K and 110K logic elements. Density does not by itself determine the transceiver resources exposed by a package. The current Altera product table lists six transceiver channels for C2 and C4 devices and up to nine for C5 and C6 devices.

The count code follows the member: C means six channels and D means nine. The next 6 is the transceiver speed grade, documented as 3.125 Gbps. It must not be confused with the later FPGA fabric speed grade. A candidate can therefore contain two 6 characters with different meanings.

Package and footprint boundaries #

The official SX decoder lists U23 as the 672-pin Ultra FineLine BGA option and F31 as the 896-pin FineLine BGA option. Altera's current product table shows C2 and C4 in U23, while C5 and C6 are listed in both U23 and F31 configurations. The package plan also changes transceiver and FPGA GPIO availability: U23 exposes six transceiver channels, while F31 on C5 and C6 exposes nine.

Changing U23 to F31 is not pin-to-pin. It changes package technology, ball count, body size and board footprint. It may also change available transceiver channels and GPIO resources. Confirm the exact orderable-product page, package drawing, pin file, transceiver-bank plan and Quartus Pin Migration View before approving an alternate.

Temperature, fabric speed, power and suffixes #

The documented temperature fields are C for commercial 0°C to 85°C, I for industrial −40°C to 100°C and A for automotive −40°C to 125°C junction temperature. FPGA fabric speed grades are 6, 7 and 8, with 6 fastest. These fields follow the complete package code.

The L field selects the low-power option. Altera's current overview states a 30% static-power reduction for 25K and 40K SX devices and 20% for 85K and 110K devices. L is not a generic suffix that can be inserted into every orderable code; availability must be confirmed in the current ordering table.

N identifies lead-free packaging. ES identifies an engineering sample and is not a production replacement. SC identifies internal-scrubbing support on selected devices. A suffix difference must be treated as a device-option difference until the exact official record proves otherwise.

Replacement screening and pin-to-pin limits #

For first-pass shortage screening, preserve 5CSX, the embedded-hard-IP field, complete package code and transceiver speed class. Then compare density, transceiver count, temperature, FPGA fabric speed, power option and suffix.

For example, official current records include 5CSXFC5C6U23C8N and 5CSXFC5C6U23I7N. They retain the SX variant, F hard-IP field, C5 member, six-channel count, transceiver grade 6 and U23 footprint. The industrial part widens the low-temperature range and FPGA fabric grade 7 is faster than grade 8, so it can enter an engineering-controlled alternate review. It may cost more and still requires timing, power, software, qualification and customer approval.

Do not call the following changes drop-in without a redesign or formal migration result:

• U23 to F31, because the physical footprint and exposed resources change;
• C to D transceiver count, because channel resources and package support differ;
• SX to SE or ST, because the device architecture and ordering syntax change;
• standard power to L, unless the exact low-power orderable code is approved;
• N to ES or SC, because the device status or feature set changes;
• a temperature or fabric-speed grade outside the released Quartus build;
• any candidate whose pin-migration report changes HPS, PCIe, transceiver, clock, power or configuration assignments.

Procurement checklist #

1. Copy the complete OPN from the released BOM. 2. Confirm 5C family, SX variant and F embedded-hard-IP field. 3. Match C2–C6 member resources and the C or D transceiver-count field. 4. Keep transceiver speed grade separate from FPGA fabric speed grade. 5. Treat package letter and package number as one footprint field. 6. Confirm C, I or A temperature and FPGA fabric grade 6, 7 or 8. 7. Confirm blank or L power option from an official orderable record. 8. Preserve N material status and reject ES unless specifically authorized. 9. Check the package plan, pin file, transceiver banks and Quartus Pin Migration View. 10. Revalidate HPS software, PCIe, clocks, timing, power and configuration assumptions.

Conclusion #

Cyclone V SX comparisons require the complete code. In 5CSXFC6D6F31C6LN, D selects nine transceiver channels, the first 6 is the 3.125-Gbps transceiver grade, the second 6 is the fastest FPGA fabric grade, and L selects low power. A wider temperature range or faster fabric grade may help during shortages, but a different package, transceiver count, hard-IP field or suffix crosses the automatic drop-in boundary.

Official references #

• Altera Cyclone V Device Overview — Cyclone V SX available options
• Altera Cyclone V SX product and ordering table
• Altera Cyclone V FPGA and SoC product table
• Altera 5CSXFC5C6U23C8N product record
• Altera 5CSXFC5C6U23I7N product record
• Altera Cyclone V I/O vertical migration guidance
• Altera Cyclone V device datasheet