Altera PowerPlay Early Power Estimator - Manual (Page 23)

Altera Corporation 3–9
May 2008 PowerPlay Early Power Estimator For Arria GX FPGAs
Using the PowerPlay Early Power Estimator
RAM Blocks
The Arria GX TriMatrix ™ memory consists of three types of RAM blocks:
M512, M4K, and M-RAM blocks. These may be used to implement true
dual-port memory and first-in first-out (FIFO) buffers. The power
consumption for each type of RAM block is different and must be
specified in the RAM section of the PowerPlay Early Power Estimator.
Each row in the RAM section represents a design module where the RAM
block(s) are the same type, have the same data width, RAM mode, and
the same port parameters. If some or all of the RAM blocks in your design
have different configurations, enter the information in different rows. For
each design module, you need to enter the type of RAM being
implemented, the number of RAM blocks, and the RAM block mode. You
must also enter the following parameters for each port:
■ Clock frequency (in MHz)
■ The percentage of time the RAM clock is enabled
■ The percentage of time the port is writing compared to reading
1 When selecting the RAM block mode, you must know how your
RAM is implemented by the Quartus II Compiler. For example,
if a ROM is implemented with two ports, it is considered a true
dual-port memory and not a ROM. Single-port and ROM
implementations only use port A. Simple dual-port and true
dual-port implementations use port A and port B.
Table 3–3 describes the parameters in the RAM section of the PowerPlay
Early Power Estimator.
Table 3–3. RAM Section Information (Part 1 of 4)
Column Heading Description
Module Enter a name for the RAM module in this column. This is an optional value.
RAM Type Select whether the RAM is implemented as an M512, M4K or M-RAM block.
The RAM type can be found in the Type column of the Quartus II Compilation
Report. In the Compilation Report, select Fitter, and click Resource Section.
Click RAM Summary.
# RAM Blocks Enter the number of RAM blocks in the module that use the same type and mode
and have the same parameters for each port. The parameters for each port are:
clock frequency in MHz, the percentage of time the RAM is enabled, and the
percentage of time the port is writing as opposed to reading. The number of RAM
blocks reported can be found in the M512s, M4Ks and M-RAMs rows of the
Quartus II Compilation Report Resource Usage Summary.