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Design tools comparison between Xilinx, Altera and Lattice for FPGA designs

Started by Luc June 20, 2005
Guys,

I'm trying to compare Altera, Xilinx and Lattice tools (free version)
Can Xilinx, Altera and Lattice supporters comment?
I found:
Lattice starter has included Leonardo/Precision RTL and Synplify, no
ModelSim
Xilinx ISE WebPack : XST, no Leonardo/Precision, no Synplify, no
ModelSim
Altera QuartusII Web Edition: support for Synplify, Precision and
Modelsim?

I know it's a simple comparison, but I would like to be clear on this.

Best regards,

Luc
"Luc" <lb.edc@pandora.be> schrieb im Newsbeitrag
news:kn4eb1p4g60qn0pvpkgamknj6q2nlt2e3p@4ax.com...
> Guys, > > I'm trying to compare Altera, Xilinx and Lattice tools (free version) > Can Xilinx, Altera and Lattice supporters comment? > I found: > Lattice starter has included Leonardo/Precision RTL and Synplify, no > ModelSim > Xilinx ISE WebPack : XST, no Leonardo/Precision, no Synplify, no > ModelSim
For Xilinx, Modelsim comes in a seperate module, but its also free (AFAIK full simulation speed up to 10000 VHDL lines, wow) Regards Falk
ISE Webpack is definitly better choice than Altera Web Edition. Web
Edition does not generate image files (pof. and sof.). In additional
ISE Webpcack has minimal limitations and only big disadvantage is core
generator which is not included in the  Webpack. It means you can not
use Xilinx FIFO, DP RAM,... but anywhere you have PLL (DCM)...
Synthisiser XST is also very good and in most case you dont need it
Leonardo or Synplify...
Free Simulator tool (Xilinx Modelsim ) is also avaiable with  ISE
Webpack....

In the other words you can do it much more with  ISE Webpack...

Regards ,

Amir

Actually Quartus web edition does allow you to generate programming
files, for certain Altera devices. An exact list can be seen here:
http://www.altera.com/products/software/products/quartus2web/sof-quarwebmain.html

Also there is no limitation to the cores you can use with the free
Altera tools.. if you want a  RAM you've got it.. if you want a PLL
you've got it. The SOPC Builder system integration/bus generation tool
is included for free.

There is also the Nios II evaluation download that includes a lot of
free-IP,  and a time-limited (or unlimited-time-but-tethered-to-host)
Nios II core for your evaluation.

Jesse Kempa
Altera
jkempa -at- altera --dot-- com

Luc wrote:
> Guys, > > I'm trying to compare Altera, Xilinx and Lattice tools (free version) > Can Xilinx, Altera and Lattice supporters comment? > I found: > Lattice starter has included Leonardo/Precision RTL and Synplify, no > ModelSim > Xilinx ISE WebPack : XST, no Leonardo/Precision, no Synplify, no > ModelSim > Altera QuartusII Web Edition: support for Synplify, Precision and > Modelsim? > > I know it's a simple comparison, but I would like to be clear on this.
May I suggest also another approach? Do a comparison of the distributors as well... Here in this country (live abroad now for 3 years ;o) the best support I got was from: - Altera distributor - Actel distributor - Lattice (direct country office) Worst experience with Xilinx distributor...after 2 - 3 years of hearing them always talking that they are better than Altera. At the end the stomach decides as well...and I prefer the distributor who can provide good support/samples...as nowadays most support is forwarded to local FAE's. rick
Hi Luc,

> I found: > Lattice starter has included Leonardo/Precision RTL and Synplify, no > ModelSim > Xilinx ISE WebPack : XST, no Leonardo/Precision, no Synplify, no > ModelSim > Altera QuartusII Web Edition: support for Synplify, Precision and > Modelsim? > > I know it's a simple comparison, but I would like to be clear on this.
You should be the expert on the Lattice kit, so I won't comment on that. Quartus Web Edition includes QIS - which is "Quartus Integrated Synthesis", which by now is a pretty decent VHDL/Verilog synthesis tool - and that's coming from someone who used to do tech support for Leonardo. Also, as you stated, Quartus Web Edition indeed has support for, but does not _include_ an RTL simulator. However, it does include a built-in gate-level (functional or timing) simulator, which can also do parts of the design's power analysis. I also understand that there's a hugely crippled, but free version of Modelsim that you can get from Xilinx (this must cost them a fortune), but which, as long as you only code RTL, you can also use for Lattice, Altera, Actel and whichever other vendor, as long as you initially mentally intend to target a Xilinx ;-) However, I haven't read the EULA to the letter. Best regards, Ben

amko wrote:
> ISE Webpack is definitly better choice than Altera Web Edition. Web > Edition does not generate image files (pof. and sof.). In additional > ISE Webpcack has minimal limitations and only big disadvantage is core > generator which is not included in the Webpack. It means you can not > use Xilinx FIFO, DP RAM,... but anywhere you have PLL (DCM)... > Synthisiser XST is also very good and in most case you dont need it > Leonardo or Synplify... > Free Simulator tool (Xilinx Modelsim ) is also avaiable with ISE > Webpack.... > > In the other words you can do it much more with ISE Webpack... > > Regards , > > Amir
As Jesse mentioned, Altera's Quartus II Web Edition does in fact generate .pof and .sof programming image files and includes everythiong need to design for Altera's latest CPLD and low-cost FPGA device families. Quartus II Web Edition includes the Quartus II integrated synthesis feature and will work with all of the leading third-party synthesis tools on the market. Quartus II Web Edition in fact includes most of the same features included in the subscription version minus some device support for the largest high-density FPGA devices and HardCopy Structured ASICs. A comparison between Quartus II Web Edition and Quartus II subscription edition software can be viewed on the Altera web site at http://www.altera.com/products/software/products/quartus2web/features/sof-quarweb_features.html. Quartus II Web Edition also supports Altera's OpenCore Plus evaluation IP so you can configure and evaluate IP in hardware before purchasing an IP license. OpenCore Plus IP can be downloaded from the Altera IP MegaStore at http://www.altera.com/products/ip/ipm-index.html. I hope this information is helpful to you. Regards, Rob Kruger rkruger-at-altera.com
amko wrote:
> ISE Webpack is definitly better choice than Altera Web Edition. Web > Edition does not generate image files (pof. and sof.). In additional > ISE Webpcack has minimal limitations and only big disadvantage is core > generator which is not included in the Webpack. It means you can not > use Xilinx FIFO, DP RAM,... but anywhere you have PLL (DCM)... > Synthisiser XST is also very good and in most case you dont need it > Leonardo or Synplify... > Free Simulator tool (Xilinx Modelsim ) is also avaiable with ISE > Webpack.... > > In the other words you can do it much more with ISE Webpack... > > Regards , > > Amir >
Perhaps you've been using a version of Quartus Web Edition from long before I started looking at FPGAs... QII web edition can do pretty much everything the "full" edition can do except really big designs - if you are looking for medium or large Stratix I/II chips, logic region locking, RTL viewing, and a few other big design features, you'll need the full pack. Otherwise, the web edition will do it all. I also get the impression that steadily more features get moved from the "full" edition down to the web edition - it's not long ago that physical synthesis for register retiming was full edition only. About the only thing missing from the web edition is a Linux version - I expect that will come soon, though, now that there is a free Linux version of the Xilinx tools...