RAM usage for FPGA

[dknguyen]

Got a quick question here about conceptual FPGA development. Is external RAM realy only used when you symthesize a microprocessor on an FPGA? If you are doing mostly most parallel processing and things like you would be using mainly distributed memory I would think and so you wouldn't really need external RAM.

I ask because I'm trying to lay out an FPGA module and sourcing and wiring up the RAM is kind of a pain and risky as far as the PCB fab costs goes.

 

[BrownOut]

FPGAs typically have distributed and block RAM. It's not common to require external RAM. You can instantiate all kinds of FIFO's, dual-ports, etc, using only on-chip resources.

Of course, that depends on your design and the FPGA selected.