What to choose for DSP design? Xilinx or Altera?

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vkchau

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Xilinx or Altera

I don't know how to choose FPGA for DSP design. Please help me.
 

For DSP applications, you may choose FPGA devices with embedded multipliers or arithmetic blocks. Xilinx Virtex II or Altera Stratix have such embedded multipliers.
 

Xilinx or @ltera

I have used both families of FPGAs, both require some time investment in time to get the best out ot them. The Xilinx Coregen does make it particularly easy to generate modules such as mulipliers, adders adders and fifos, and do functional simulation with via the unisim library. Without bias, this can also done with Altera tools also. Last week implemented and a colour space converer, which involves 3x3 matrix operations, simulations and implementation all done in a couple days using Xilinx FPGAs. Jus one thing to add, I don't use the Modelsim simulator, ALDECs AHDL instead. I use Xilinxs ISE 4.1. I don't do any fancy stuff like floor planning.

Best thing thing try them both out, and see which one does it for you. WEB editons of both available.

My two pence worth.

Spit
 

I think it is no different for your design.
I used altera device. and now use xilinx device to test the function of my code. I feel no different.
 

I suggest that you do a small test bench(not a VHDL code, i.e simple design) that contains the features related to your design and check which of them more suit your application.

Regards
 

i find that before you need to evalute how big is your project, take a margin and select the right device.
another choice may be if you need to have a very high frequency or no, in this case you may chose a cheapest device.
another stone is if you have experience whit a device, in this ase may be that you chose to use the same vendor for your commodity.
Bye.
G.
 

devices of Xilinx are more cheaper.
but devices of Altrea have better clock resources
 

re

if you want to use embeded microp in FPGA, Altera is better, Altera have NIOS and support ARM core, Altera's develop tools is cheaper then Xilinx's, but xilinx's chip is more cheaper.
 

There is no big performance gap between alter and Xilin.
You can select either.
But, I think the xilinx has good document than @ltera.
 

depends upon your design and size. simulate both and use one which gives u ur required results, not that much difference that might be troublesome for u
 

You may select actel too.
It is cheaper.
 

I'm a long time xilinx user, but have recently started looking at Altera and I think that the Altera products are very competitive. I've been comparing Stratix to Virtex-II and have been getting consistently better design performance from the Altera devices (granted this code is for comms purposes, not DSP). I note with interest the above refererces to Xilinx being cheaper - my personal experience has been the opposite. However, there this isn't much seperating them...

J
 

xilinx is more flexible for performance tuning
 

Xilinx is the best choice for DSP design.
 

How about Spartan? Can I use Spartan for DSP designs (FFT, FIR, IIR, audio compression/decompression,...)?
 

Spartan2 is the equivilant of Virtex, Spartan2e is the the equivilant of Virtex-E, and the new Spartan3 is the equivilant of Virtex2. So the answer is yes, anything you can do in a regular Xilinx device you can do in a Spartan. You just have to be aware that the Spartan equivilants don't have as much resource, even if the resource they do have does the same job as the more expensive parts.

J
 

The main reason to select device for your design is time*money criteria. A1tera's, Xi1inx' and Acte1's devices haven't significant differences in price and in its productivity. And if You aren't planning "big series production" those differences can be ignored.
Select the most comfortable software for You.
If You need the cheapest design make a choice between A1tera's and Xi1inx' devices depending on resources needed.
If You'd like to protect your design against copying etc - pay some attention to Acte1's ProASICPlus and Axcelerator series. (I see it requires expensive programming device).

I personally use A1tera's ICs for couple of products' generations but still looking for my ideal

If selection problem persists - throw the coin. Head is A1tera and tail is Xi1inx.
 

I use Altera devices for it's tool (MAX+PLUS 2) convenience for beginner.
For senior engineer, it needs better simulation and synthesis tools, it is a diadvantage.
 

Altera is easy to learn.

xilinx's fpga structure is much more agile and powerful.
 

Xilinx or @ltera

Xilinx FPGA is powerful to design complex algorithm and logic system. and its development tool is advanced. I suggest that you use it.
 

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