FPGA vs DSP which one is better

[the_penetrator]

This question has no meaning as it stands!!!

FPGA is an implementation technology, a process like standard-cell is for ASIC. There are many different FPGA architectures, like fine-grain (Xilinx, Altera, others) and coarse-grain (as many research and start-ups do recently).

DSP is a kind of processor architecture. DSP means the following things:

1. MAC(s) for the usual tap operation
2. saturation arithmetic
3. zero-overhead operation for reducing looping effect
4. usually very shallow pipelines (less than 5)
5. access to multiple data memory banks (2 or 3 in most cases)
6. LUTs like for coefficient tables are nice
7. most of them don't have floating-point, you have to write
your apps for fixed-point
8. C compiler and runtime libraries support is always a issue to take
good look at
9. DMA for offloading some data mem accesses from the processor core

So, if you have a DSP in form of softcore (RTL VHDL) you can synthesize and p&r it to an FPGA of yours.

Of course, the specific FPGA resources are important, and you may have to modify your RTL (make it more implementation-specific) to better much your FPGA.

the_penetrator©

 

[bdhj]

If the application is Digital Signal Processing, surely, DSP is the answer.
DSP provide u flexible environment to develop ur design.

if ur design is specific hardwire DSP ready. FPGA can be considered if cost is not a big issue.

 

[sifeddin]

Usually the question is FPGA or ASIC?
however you can see from all the replies that FPGA are (gate array) that you may morph it to do typical combinational logic or with the existance of a clock and carving of shift registers you can do some processing but rather premitive. there are some chips released from vendors with small processor and some memory aside the gate array to implement more complicated functions on the same chip.
As for the DSP chips they are processors by definition and usually application oriented and you cannot change the circuit inside to your need only use them by software to accomplish your mission.

You may like to have a look at www.ict-eg.org. They work with both technologies and even do educative processors and some applications with FPGA chips/own-made burning kit and DSP ready-made kits.

 

[roger]

The question's oddly enough.
What's the relationship bwtween DSP & FPGA?
FPGA cannot implement DSP on it? <-----no
I think you got to reconsider what you wanna ask

 

[kirgizz]

hi, I have the same problem: I'm looking for a suitable device for my design. I'm designing a lock-in-amplifier that operates with up to 40 kHz signal frequency. I want to implement (soft or hard) 3 elements into one device: low-pass (may be high-pass too), phase-shifter and demodulator.
Cost-factor is important.

Can you give me some advice or arguments for using a FPGA or DSP please?

 

[karthy]

fpga has got a lot of advantages compared to p-dsp. but still the use of fpga or p-dsp depends on the application.
i hope the attached file will provide further insight.

 

[kirgizz]

to karthy:

thank you for the helpful information. I already was about to take a DSP for my design. But I think I need to revise it.

 

[mhamed]

Hi
see the post


it will help you

 

[kirgizz]

Thanx to mhamed,

I have a clear answer for my ask with it.

Regards

 

[troops]

FPGA is flexible...
but DSP is power-ful ....

 

[dd22]

FPGA consumes more current than DSP for the same functionality. DSP is more flexible in programming. FPGA is also hard for timing, while dsp is not that critical.

 

[karthy]

check whether this file is useful!!!

 

[GHORT]

One of the FPGA eval board from Altera could be link with Matlab/PC, i have eval board with adsp 2181 (EZ-kit lite rev 1.0) is there any chance to send a signal from MAtlab/simulink to my board and send back after filtering for example??

Have you experience with it??? links??

thank you in adv.

 

[kk_10]

If you need answer of given question, especially of the question as global as you have asked it is alyaws better to geve as much information as posible.

 

[Mazi3]

depend on money (for developement) and your requirement.
DSP are quite easy to do something (for example, a few lines are required for FIR filter),
in FPGA, building of FIR filter is quite a full workday job
but the FPGA can offer more processing power to someone who need it. Also for high volume, time (and money) for developend will be returned soon (very fast DSP-s are costly!)
There are applications where only pure FPGA power come to be acceptable, DSPs are too slow.

summary:
DSP for low processing,
FPGA for high speed processing,
volume has some depending on decision

 

[kawish]

tell me plz i want to implement radar so which one is better and y thanx

 

[whicun]

FPGA can do everything more than DSP do,

 

[eric_ec_chen]

If you use FPGA, you need to partition the algorithm in to which parts belogn the FPGA, which parts are don by the software. If the partition is not well, it will take much time to debug.

 

[kirgizz]

DSP is good in loops (software), small code and relatively small amount of used harware. But DSP is not as quick as FPGA.

FPGA is better in the case if it's designed as very specific harware. FPGA it needs for digital signal processing software too otherwise you spend a lot of hardware (complexity is rising rapidly). While designing a hardware a lot of timing problems arises.

I would say for FPGA you need *5+ more time than for DSP (in designing filters an so on).

 

[archillios]

you will see lots of deveopment platform, with DSP as the engine, and a FPGA as the controller for interfacing with periphrals.