Design considerations for the connection between MAC and PHY

[yeemanb]

Hi,

I've been learning and experimenting with the Virtex 5 Embedded Tri-mode Ethernet MAC Wrapper. It is a core that lets you pick how the MAC is connected to the PHY layer.

I understand the differences between GMII, MII, SGMII, and RGMII, but I am not sure which is best for my design.

Here is my reasoning. Please comment if you agree/disagree.

I am ruling out MII by itself as I need to support GbE.

RGMII and SGMII reduce pin count by adding other components. If I am not short on pins, are there any other advantages?


Thanks!

 

[yeemanb]

The spec here compares the amount of resources used by each type.

https://www.xilinx.com/support/documentation/ip_documentation/v5_emac_ds550.pdf

Anyone with suggestions as to what else should be considered when choosing between them?