Spartan3 vs Spartan 3E

spartan 3 vs spartan 3e

Hello!

I have been taking a quick glance to Spartan3 and Spartan3E datasheets, and i can't tell difference, just for Logic Cells number and Packaging.

Do you know what are differences between these FPGA?

Thanks !

spartan 3 vs 3e

I Think The Important Differance Is The Price.

spartan 3 vs spartan 3a

and Block RAM , IO Type , etc..

spartan 3a vs spartan 3e

From Xilinx Spartan-3E Family: Frequently Asked Questions
https://www.xilinx.com/products/spartan3e/faq105-sp3e.pdf

* Spartan-3E family complements the Spartan-3 family – Spartan-3E optimized
for gate-centric designs with less than 2M gates, Spartan-3 optimized for I/Ocentric
designs from 1M to 5M gates

*Other Cost Saving Features: Spartan-3E devices include a built-in interface to
commonly used DDR333 memory. Also, the minimum DCM input frequency is
lowered to 5 MHz (Spartan-3 DCM min. input frequency is 24 MHz) enabling the
use of lower cost oscillators. Up to eight DCMs are available to eliminate discrete
DLL/PLL/phase shifter/clock management devices.

Choosing Between Spartan-3E and Spartan-3 Families
14. Does the Spartan-3E family replace the Spartan-3 family?
No, the Spartan-3E and Spartan-3 FPGA families are complementary: each is designed
to provide the best ratio of gates to I/Os for different applications. Spartan-3E FPGAs
are optimized for gate-centric (higher ratio of gates to I/Os) designs with under 2M
gates while Spartan-3 FPGAs are optimized for I/O-centric (higher ratio of I/Os to
gates) designs from 1M to 5M gates.
16. What are the feature differences between Spartan-3E and Spartan-3 families?
There are a few feature differences between the Spartan-3E and Spartan-3 families that
can determine which family to target for a new design. Spartan-3 devices in the
density range under 2 million gates (XC3S50 to XC3S1500) should be targeted if any of
the following “Spartan-3 only” features are needed:
• Digitally Controlled Impedance (DCI) also known as XCITE
• High current I/O standards over 16 mA
• I/O standards – GTL/GTL+/HSTL I/HSTL III/HSTL18 III/SSTL2
II/LDT/LVDS_ext
• Low-power option (Spartan-3L)
Spartan-3E devices should be targeted if any of the following “Spartan-3E only”
features are needed:
• Serial (SPI) or parallel flash memory used for configuration
• PCI 66 MHz compliance, PCI-X compatibility and mini-LVDS I/O standard
support
• DDR333 memory interface
• Fully pipelined embedded multiplier performance to 325 MHz
• Eight DCMs with 5 MHz minimum input frequency

As long as the IO blocks are considered, the following differences are there in spartan 3E family in contrast to spartan 3;

• Input-only blocks are added
• Programmable input delays are added to all blocks
• DDR flip-flops can be shared between adjacent IOBs

The best thing would be to consult the Spartan 3 Family Data Sheet and look for the specific differences over there.

Re: spartan 3a vs spartan 3e

this is really helpful

Re: spartan 3a vs spartan 3e

Still really helpful in 2012. Thanks.