0

Asynchronous FIFO v6.1

DS232 November 11, 2004

Product Specification

Introduction
The Asynchronous FIFO is a First-In-First-Out memory
queue with control logic that performs management of
the read and write pointers, generation of status flags,
and optional handshake signals for interfacing with the
user logic.

Uses relationally placed macro (RPM) mapping and

placement technology for maximum and
predictable performance
Incorporates Xilinx Smart-IP technology for
utmost parameterization and optimum
implementation
To be used with v6.3i or later of the Xilinx CORE
Generator system

About This Revision

Figure Top x-ref 1

Features

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Version 6.1 is the final release of the Asynchronous

FIFO core. For new designs, Xilinx suggests you use the
FIFO Generator Logicore, which includes expanded
support for applications requiring independent (asynchronous) or common (synchronous) read/write clock
domains. See FIFO Generator for detailed information.

Supports data widths up to 256 bits

in

nt

Drop-in module for Virtex, Virtex-E, Virtex-II,

Virtex-II Pro, Virtex-4, Spartan-II,
Spartan-IIE, and Spartan-3 FPGAs

Supports memory depths of up to 65,535 locations

Fully synchronous and independent clock domains

for the read and write ports

Figure 1: Core Schematic Symbol

Supports FULL and EMPTY status flags

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Memory may be implemented in either

SelectRAM+ or Distributed RAM

Optional ALMOST_FULL and ALMOST_EMPTY

status flags

Four optional handshake signals (WR_ACK,

WR_ERR, RD_ACK, RD_ERR) provide feedback
(acknowledgment or rejection) in response to write
and read requests in the prior clock cycle

IP

Invalid read or write requests are rejected without

affecting the FIFO state

Optional count vector(s) provide visibility into

number of data words currently in the FIFO,
synchronized to either clock domain
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registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners. All specifications are subject to change without notice.
NOTICE OF DISCLAIMER: Xilinx is providing this design, code, or information "as is." By providing the design, code, or information as one possible implementation of this feature, application,
or standard, Xilinx makes no representation that this implementation is free from any claims of infringement. You are responsible for obtaining any rights you may require for your implementation. Xilinx expressly disclaims any warranty whatsoever with respect to the adequacy of the implementation, including but not limited to any warranties or representations that this implementation is free from claims of infringement and any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

DS232 November 11, 2004

Product Specification

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Asynchronous FIFO v6.1

Functional Description
The Asynchronous FIFO is a First-In-First-Out memory queue with control logic that performs management of the read and write pointers, generation of status flags, and optional handshake signals for
interfacing with the user logic. The individual read and write ports are fully synchronous (all operations qualified by a rising clock edge), but this FIFO does not require the read and write clocks to be
synchronized to each other.
FIFO status cannot be corrupted by invalid requests. Requesting a read operation while the EMPTY
flag is active will not cause any change in the current sate of the FIFO. Similarly, requesting a write
operation while the FULL flag is active will not cause any change in the current state of the FIFO. If
enabled, the RD_ERR and WR_ERR handshake signals will indicate the rejection of these invalid
requests.

co

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In addition to the EMPTY, ALMOST_EMPTY, FULL, and ALMOST_FULL flags, a count vector can be
enabled to provide a more granular measure of the FIFO state. For the write domain the vector is
WR_COUNT[W:0], and for the read domain it is RD_COUNT[R:0]. The width of these vectors are user
programmable to provide easy generation of additional flags. For instance, a vector width of one creates a half-full flag; a width of two creates binary-encoded quadrant flags, and so on. In keeping with
the fully synchronous interface, the count vector can be synchronized to either the read or the write
clock domain, or two independent counts can be enabled, one for each clock domain.

Synchronization and Timing Issues

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in

As previously stated, the read and write ports can be operated on independent asynchronous clock
domains. However, the user interface logic still must address synchronization issues. The core schematic symbol, shown in Figure 1, divides the signals according to their appropriate clock
domainswrite on the top half, read on the bottom. All signals, either input or output, are synchronous to one of the two clocks, with the exception of AINIT, which performs an asynchronous reset of
the entire FIFO. On the write side, the control (WR_EN) and data input (DIN) are sampled by the rising
edge of WR_CLK and should be synchronous to the WR_CLK. For the read side the read control
(RD_EN) should be synchronous to the RD_CLK and the output data (DOUT) is valid after the subsequent rising edge of RD_CLK. All status outputs are synchronous to their respective clock domains and
should be sampled only by logic operating on a synchronous clock. FIFO performance can be effectively constrained and analyzed by placing the desired clock PERIOD constraints on both the WR_CLK
and RD_CLK source signals.

IP

WR_CLK and RD_CLK are always rising edge active for the FIFO core. They can be made falling edge
active (relative to the clock source) by inserting an inverter between the clock source and the FIFOs
clock inputs.

Behavior of Status Signals

The activation of the AINIT, asynchronous initialization (reset), will force all four FIFO flags to the
active (high) state. On the first WR_CLK after the release of AINIT the FULL and ALMOST_FULL flags
will become inactive, indicating that the FIFO is now ready to accept write operations. EMPTY and
ALMOST_EMPTY are deactivated on a rising edge of the RD_CLK following the first and second
writes respectively. The ALMOST_EMPTY flag is active when the FIFO has one data word or is
EMPTY. The ALMOST_FULL flag is active when the FIFO has only one available memory location or
is FULL.

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DS232 November 11, 2004

Product Specification

Asynchronous FIFO v6.1

Optional handshake signals are provided to simplify user control logic interacting with the FIFO. The
WR_ACK and WR_ERR signals indicate acknowledgment or rejection of requested write operations.
Similarly, RD_ACK and RD_ERR signals indicate the acknowledgment or rejection of read operations.
Each of these control signals can be made active high or low from the GUI. Note that all of these handshake signals are synchronous to their respective clock domains and indicate the acknowledgment or
rejection of requests during the prior rising clock edge. Because an acknowledgment or error response
depends on an active request (WR_EN or RD_EN), the ACK and ERR signals are not always the inverse
of each other. If no operation is requested, both the acknowledgment and the error signal will be inactive during the subsequent clock period. For an example of expected signal sequencing, refer to the timing diagram shown in Figure 2.

in

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The optional data count outputs (WR_COUNT and RD_COUNT) support the generation of user programmable flags. In the simplest case, selecting a width of one for a data count produces a half-full flag.
Like all other FIFO outputs, the counts are synchronized to their respective clock domains and should
be sampled only by logic operating on the same (or a synchronous) clock. The data count vectors have
clock latency and should not be used as substitutes for the FULL, ALMOST_FULL, EMPTY, or
ALMOST _EMPTY flags. The clock latency of the counts in their respective clock domains is one cycle.
For example, the WR_COUNT does not reflect the impact of a write operation performed as a result of
a request (WR_EN active) during the prior clock cycle. WR_COUNT and RD_COUNT values are not
guaranteed to produce a precise representation of the FIFO contents at a particular point in time. These
values should be used as a gauge to determine the FIFO status (see answer record 14518 for more information). The latency for operations in the opposing clock domain can be up to three clock cycles. For example, in the case of the WR_COUNT, read operations that may have been performed during the
immediate three prior RD_CLK periods will not be reflected in the data count vector. This latency
results from a design trade-off between clock frequency and count accuracy and is not as limiting as it
may at first appear.

Note that for this example:

ue

Consider the following scenario of a FIFO configured depth of 63 and a write count of two bits
(WR_COUNT[1:0]).

Write_COUNT[1:0]=00: Indicates that the FIFO is less than 1/4 full and corresponds to the occupancy
range of (0:16). The upper bound is 16 and not 15 due to the write latency of 1 clock cycle.

Write_COUNT[1:0]=01: Indicates that the FIFO is between 1/4 full and 1/2 full and corresponds to the
occupancy range of (13:32). The lower bound is 13 and not 16 due to the read latency of 3 clock cycles.

IP

Write_COUNT[1:0]=10: Indicates that the FIFO is between 1/2 full and 3/4 full and corresponds to the
occupancy range of (29-48).
Write_COUNT[1:0]=11: Indicates that the FIFO is between 3/4 full and full and corresponds to the
occupancy range of (45-63).
If the control logic needs to throttle back write operations based on the FIFO occupancy, it can use the
write count vector in the following way. As shown above, WR_COUNT[1:0] equal to 11 corresponds to
an occupancy greater than 45. As long as the users WR_COUNT is not 11, no more than 48 data words
(47 plus one for the write operation clock latency) are present in the FIFO. The users control logic is
assured that at least 15 (63-48) additional memory locations are available in the queue. There could be
up to three more locations because of recent read operations, but this only increases the available memory locations. In this scenario, at least 14 additional writes can be performed without causing the FULL
flag to transition to true.

DS232 November 11, 2004

Product Specification

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Asynchronous FIFO v6.1

Alternatively the control logic might want to wait for a fixed FIFO occupancy prior to performing a
burst read operation. In this case, read operations are suspended before the appropriate count is
reached. So for the same FIFO configuration, when the RD_COUNT transitions to 11, there are at least
47 data words in the FIFO. The write operation latency means that there can be as many as 51 words in
the FIFO, but the users read logic is guaranteed that at least 47 words are present. Read operations can
be initiated with the assurance that at least 47 assured reads can continue as long as the EMPTY flag is
inactive, indicating that data is available.

Pinout
Core signal names are shown in Figure 1 and described in Table 1.
Table 1: Core Signal Pinout

D
Name

Direction

DIN[N:0]

Description
Data Input

WR_EN

Input

Write Enable (request)

WR_CLK

Input

Clock for write domain operations (rising edge)

RD_EN
RD_CLK
AINIT

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Input

Read Enable (request)

Input

Clock for read domain operations (rising edge)

Input

Asynchronous reset of all FIFO functions, flags, and pointers

nt

FULL

Input

Output

Full: no additional writes can be performed, synchronous to

WR_CLK
Almost Full: Only one additional write can be performed before
FIFO is FULL, synchronous to WR_CLK

WR_
COUNT[W:0]

Output

Write Count: Count vector (unsigned binary) representing the

number of data words currently in FIFO, synchronized to
WR_CLK. If 2^(W+1) < [FIFO depth +1], the least significant bits
of count are truncated. (W=0 produces a half-full flag)

WR_ACK

Output

Write Acknowledge: Handshake signal indicates that data was

written to the FIFO on the previous CLK edge while WR_EN was
active

WR_ERR

Output

Write Error: Handshake signal indicates that no data word was

written to the FIFO on the previous CLK edge while WR_EN was
active. This is an indication that a write operation was attempted,
but the FIFO was Full.

DOUT[N:0]

Output

Data Output: Synchronous to RD_CLK

EMPTY

Output

Empty: No additional reads can be performed, synchronous to

RD_CLK

ALMOST_ EMPTY

Output

Almost Empty: Only one additional read can be performed before

FIFO is EMPTY, synchronous to RD_CLK.

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in

Output

ALMOST_ FULL

IP

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DS232 November 11, 2004

Product Specification

Asynchronous FIFO v6.1

Table 1: Core Signal Pinout (Continued)

Name

Direction

Description

RD_
COUNT [R:0]

Output

Read Count: Count vector (unsigned binary) representing the

number of data word currently in FIFO, synchronized to RD_CLK.
If (2^R+1)<(FIFO depth+1), the least significant bits of count are
truncated (R=0, produces a half-full flag)

RD_ACK

Output

Read Acknowledge: Handshake signal indicates that data was

read from the FIFO and placed on the DOUT output pins on the
previous CLK edge while RD_EN was active

Output

Read Error: Handshake signal indicates that no data word was

read from the FIFO on the previous CLK edge while RD_EN was
active and subsequently data on DOUT output pins was not
updated. This is an indication that a read operation was attempted,
but the FIFO was Empty.

RD_ERR

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CORE Generator Parameters

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The main Core Generator parameterization values can be found in Table 2, and the parameter descriptions are as follows:

nt

Component Name: The component name is used as the base name of the output files generated for
this module. Names must begin with a letter and must be composed from the following characters:
a to z, 0 to 9 and _.

in

Memory Type: Select the appropriate radio button for the type of memory desired. Block Memory
implements the FIFOs memory using SelectRAM+. Selecting the Distributed Memory radio button
will implement the FIFO memory using LUT-based dual-port memory.

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Input Data Width: Enter the width of the input data bus (also the width of the output data bus).
The valid range is 1 - 256.
FIFO Depth: Select the available depth from the pull-down list. As one memory location has been
sacrificed in the interest of optimizing FIFO performance available depths are (2^N 1). N can be
any integer from 4 to 16, with additional restrictions based on the Data Width.

IP

Data Count: Two Data Counts, one for each clock domain, can be enabled by selecting the
appropriate radio button. Once selected, the corresponding count width dialog box becomes active.
Valid count widths are any integer from 1 to N (where 2^N = (FIFO Depth + 1). If an integer greater
than N is entered, it will turn red and the core generation will be inhibited until this error is
corrected.
Create RPM: When this box is checked, the Asynchronous FIFO will be generated using
Relationally Placed Macros (RPMs). This means that the module will be generated with relative
location attributes attached. The FIFO will be produced with two (or three, if distributed memory
was selected) individual RPMs. A single RPM is not produced to allow the FIFO to support varying
footprints.
Almost Full Flag: Generates an Almost Full signal, indicating that one additional write can be
performed before the FIFO is full.
Almost Empty Flag: Generates an Almost Empty signal, indicating that one additional read can be
performed before the FIFO is empty.

DS232 November 11, 2004

Product Specification

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Asynchronous FIFO v6.1

The optional handshaking control signals (acknowledge and/or error) can be enabled via the Handshaking Options button. When selected, a popup dialog box will appear.
Read Acknowledge Flag: Asserted active on the clock cycle after a successful read has occurred.
This signal, when selected, can be made active high or low through the GUI.
Read Error Flag: Asserted active on the clock cycle after a read from the FIFO was attempted, but
not successful. This signal, when selected, can be made active high or low through the GUI.
Write Acknowledge Flag: Asserted active on the clock cycle after a successful write has occurred.
This signal, when selected, can be made active high or low through the GUI.
Write Error Flag: Asserted active on the clock cycle after a write to the FIFO was attempted, but not
successful. This signal, when selected, can be made active high or low through the GUI.

Parameter Values in XCO File

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Names of XCO file parameters and their parameter values are identical to the names and values shown
in the GUI, except that underscore characters (_) are used instead of spaces. The text in an XCO file is
case insensitive.

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The format for the XCO file should be as follows:

CSET <parameter> = <desired_option>
For example:

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CSET component_name = my_fifo_name

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in

Figure 2 shows the waveform output of the VHDL behavioral model for a FIFO with depth of 15. Initially, the FULL and ALMOST_FULL output flags are high, indicating that the FIFO is in a reset state
and the user should not write to the FIFO. When WR_EN is set to 1, the first write operation fails and
returns a WR_ERR because on that rising clock edge the FIFO is reporting FULL and can not be written
to.

IP

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DS232 November 11, 2004

Product Specification

Asynchronous FIFO v6.1

The WR_COUNT and RD_COUNT outputs in Figures 2 and 3 report an estimated value of the number
of words in the FIFO relative to their respective clock domains. These outputs are expressed as the fraction of the FIFO that is full, and can be used to generate user-threshold flags. Due to delays in the core,
these outputs can never be relied upon as an exact measure of the number of words in the FIFO.
Figure Top x-ref 2

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AINIT
WR_CLK
DIN
WR_EN
WR_ACK
WR_ERR
FULL
ALMOST_FULL
WR_COUNT
RD_CLK
DOUT
RD_EN
RD_ACK
RD_ERR
EMPTY
MOST_EMPTY
RD_COUNT

nt

Figure 2: Timing Diagram of Read and Write Operations for

FIFO VHDL Behavioral Model

Figure Top x-ref 3

d
IP

AINIT
WR_CLK
DIN
WR_EN
WR_ACK
WR_ERR
FULL
ALMOST_FULL
WR_COUNT
RD_CLK
DOUT
RD_EN
RD_ACK
RD_ERR
EMPTY
LMOST_EMPTY
RD_COUNT

ue

in

Figure 3 shows the waveform output of the Verilog behavioral model for a FIFO with a depth of 15.
Unlike the VHDL model, it is a purely functional model. The actual waveform of the Verilog model in
Figure 3 looks quite different from the VHDL waveform in Figure 2, but they are functionally equivalent from the point of view of either the read or write interface of the FIFO. As there is no delay in the
Verilog model, the effects of full, empty, read, or write can occur instantaneously.

Figure 3: Timing Diagram of Read and Write Operations for

FIFO Verilog Behavioral Model

DS232 November 11, 2004

Product Specification

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Asynchronous FIFO v6.1

Table 2 provides the XCO file parameters and values and summarizes the GUI defaults.
Table 2: Default Values and XCO File Values

Parameter

Default GUI Setting

component_name

ASCII text starting with a letter and based

upon the following character set: a-z, 0-9,
and _

blank

memory_type

Keyword block, anything else generates

LUT RAM

block

input_data_width

Integer in the range 1 to 256

16

fifo_depth

Integer in the range 15 to 65,535. Must be

equal to (2^N-1;, N = 4 to 16)

63

almost_full_flag

One of the following keywords: true, false

false

almost_empty_flag

One of the following keywords: true, false

false

write_acknowledge_flag

One of the following keywords: true, false

false

is

XCO File Values

One of the following keywords:

active_high, active_low

write_error_flag

One of the following keywords: true, false

write_error_sense

One of the following keywords:

active_high, active_low

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write_acknowledge_sense

read_error_flag

One of the following keywords: true, false

One of the following keywords:
active_high, active_low

false
active_high

in

read_acknowledge_sense

false
active_high

nt

read_acknowledge_flag

active_high

One of the following keywords: true, false

ue

One of the following keywords:

active_high, active_low

write_count

One of the following keywords: true, false

write_count_width

Integer in the range 1 to N, where N is

determined by the fifo_depth

read_count

One of the following keywords: true, false

read_count_width

Integer in the range 1 to N, where N is

determined by the fifo_depth

create_rpm

One of the following keywords: true, false

read_error_sense

false
active_high
false
2
false

IP
2

false

Core Resource Utilization

The resource requirements of the asynchronous FIFO are highly dependent on the memory size, memory type, and the presence of optional ports. Resource utilization can be estimated by addition of the
requirements for the FIFOs memory and control logic.
Table 3 lists the number of SelectRAM+ blocks required for the Virtex family to implement various
width and depth combinations when using the block memory implementation. Similarly, Table 4 lists
the number of SelectRAM+ blocks required for the Virtex-II family.

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DS232 November 11, 2004

Product Specification

Asynchronous FIFO v6.1

Table 5 shows the approximate number of slices per bit for a distributed ram-based FIFO for the Virtex
family. Multiply this number by the data width to determine the approximate slice count for the memory. Note that resource utilization for distributed ram-based FIFO and control logic for Virtex-II will be
similar to that show for Virtex.
Control logic resource utilization is a function of the required addressing width N (N =
log2(fifo_depth+1) and the optional features enabled. The slice count calculation varies slightly,
depending on N being odd or even. For example, for the Virtex family:
For N even, slice count is:
(Base)

- +(N * 0.5) + 2

(per almost flag)

- +(N * 2.0) + 1

(per data count)

- (N * 3.5) + 6

(for write handshaking)

- +(1)

(for read handshaking))

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- +(1)

For N odd, slice count is:

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- (N * 3.5) + 7.5

(Base)

- +(N * 0.5) + 1.5

(per almost flag)

- +(N * 2.0) + 2.0

(per data count)

nt

- +(1)

(for write handshaking)

- +(1)

(for read handshaking))

41+7+7+21+21+1+1 = 99 slices (N=10)

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in

Example: a 1023x8 SelectRAM+ based FIFO with all of the features enabled requires 2 blockRAMs (see
Table 3) and an additional 99 slices (N=10) for the control logic.

Table 3: Virtex and Virtex-E Select Ram+ Usage

FIFO Depth

Data
Width

15

31

63

127

255

511

2047

4095

8191

16383

32767

65535

16

16

32

9-12

13-16

17-32

IP

DS232 November 11, 2004

Product Specification

1023

12

24

48

16

32

64

10

20

40

80

12

24

48

96

14

28

56

112

16

32

64

128

5/6

9/12

18/24

36/48

72/96

144/192

7/8

13/16

26/32

52/64

104/128

208/256

3/4

5/8

9/16

17/32

34/64

68/128

136/256

N/S

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Asynchronous FIFO v6.1

Table 3: Virtex and Virtex-E Select Ram+ Usage (Continued)

FIFO Depth

Data
Width

15

31

63

127

255

511

1023

2047

4095

8191

16383

32767

65535

33-40

9/10

17/20

33/40

66/80

132/160

N/S

N/S

41-48

11/12

21/24

41/48

82/96

164/192

N/S

N/S

49-64

7/8

13/16

25/32

49/64

98/128

196/256

N/S

N/S

65-128

5/8

5/8

5/8

5/8

5/8

9/16

17/32

33/64

65/128

130/256

N/S

N/S

N/S

129-192 9/12 9/12 9/12

9/12

9/12

17/24

33/48

65/96

129/192

N/S

N/S

N/S

N/S

193-256 13/16 13/16 13/16 13/16 13/16 25/32

49/64

97/128

193/256

N/S

N/S

N/S

N/S

Table 4: Virtex-II Select Ram+ Usage

D
Data
Width

15

FIFO Depth
31

63

127

255

511

1023

2047

4095

8191

16383

32767

65535

is

11

15

18

co

11

22

13

25

15

29

9-12

13-16

17-32

33-40

1/2

1/2

41-48

49-64

in

nt

1/2

5/6

9/12

16/22

32/43

7/8

13/16

24/29

47/57

1/2

2/4

5/8

9/16

17/32

31/57

N/S

1/2

1/2

1/2

1/2

2/3

4/5

9/10

17/20

33/40

N/S

N/S

5/6

11/12

21/24

41/48

N/S

N/S

3/4

6/8

13/16

25/32

49/64

N/S

N/S

65-128

2/4

2/4

2/4

2/4

2/4

2/4

4/8

8/15

17/32

33/64

65/128

N/S

N/S

129-192

4/6

4/6

4/6

4/6

4/6

4/6

8/11

15/22

33/48

65/96

129/192

N/S

N/S

193-256

6/8

6/8

6/8

6/8

6/8

6/8

11/15

22/29

49/64

ue

IP

Performance Benchmarking

97/128

193/256

N/S

N/S

To properly constrain the Asynchronous FIFO, place appropriate period constraints on the read
(RD_CLK) and write (WR_CLK) clocks. The Asynchronous FIFO benchmark results are shown in
Table 6 for Virtex, Table 7 for Virtex-E, and Table 8 for Virtex-II.

10

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DS232 November 11, 2004

Product Specification

Asynchronous FIFO v6.1

Table 5: Virtex Distributed RAM Resource Utilization

FIFO_depth

Resources Used

Slice Estimate

15

2/0/0/1

31

6/0/0/1

63

12/2/0/1

127

24/4/2/1

11

255

49/8/4/1

22

Note: Resource Utilization (LUT/MUXF5/MUXF6/FD) for Distributed RAM FIFO Memory Only (per bit,
multiply by data width)

Table 6: Virtex Asynchronous FIFO Performance Benchmarking (SelectRAM+ Implementation)

PART

FIFO Implementation
255x16 no options

255x16 all options

1023X8 all options

-4

114 MHz (8.8 ns)

113 MHz (8.8 ns)

113 MHz (8.8 ns)

-5

141 MHz (7.1 ns)

125 MHz (8.0 ns)

133 MHz - (7.5 ns)

-6

156 MHz (6.4 ns)

151 MHz (6.6 ns)

147 MHz - (6.8 ns)

Notes

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V50PQ240

in

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1. These benchmark designs contain only one FIFO without any additional logic, so benchmark numbers approach the
performance ceiling rather than representing performance under typical user conditions. Highest frequencies will be
obtained by using the create RPM option or through custom floor planning.
2. Over constraining the FIFO (applying overly aggressive timing constraints) will degrade the achievable performance. For
example, applying a 6.0ns constraint to the 255x16 no options implementation (-6) will result in a placed and routed
implementation that is considerably slower than the 6.4ns shown in the table.

Table 7: Virtex-E Asynchronous FIFO Performance Benchmarking (SelectRAM+ Implementation)

PART

FIFO Implementation

ue

255x16 no options

255x16 all options

1023X8 all options

-6

178 MHz (5.6 ns)

174 MHz (5.7 ns)

172 MHz (5.8 ns)

-7

192 MHz (5.2 ns)

188 MHz (5.3 ns)

188 MHz - (5.3 ns)

-8

196 MHz (5.1 ns)

192 MHz (5.2 ns)

Notes

V50EPQ240

196 MHz - (5.1 ns)

IP

1. These benchmark designs contain only one FIFO without any additional logic, so benchmark numbers approach the
performance ceiling rather than representing performance under typical user conditions. Highest frequencies will be
obtained by using the create RPM option or through custom floor planning.
2. Over constraining the FIFO (applying overly aggressive timing constraints) will degrade the achievable performance.

Table 8: Virtex-II Asynchronous FIFO Performance Benchmarking (SelectRAM+ Implementation)

PART

FIFO Implementation

2V250FG256

255x16 no options

255x16 all options

1023X8 all options

-5

233 MHz (4.3 ns)

217 MHz (4.3 ns)

213 MHz - (4.7 ns)

Notes
1. These benchmark designs contain only one FIFO without any additional logic, so benchmark numbers approach the
performance ceiling rather than representing performance under typical user conditions. Highest frequencies will be
obtained by using the create RPM option or through custom floor planning.
2. Over constraining the FIFO (applying overly aggressive timing constraints) will degrade the achievable performance.
3. Speed files used are preview.

DS232 November 11, 2004

Product Specification

www.xilinx.com

11

Asynchronous FIFO v6.1

Ordering Information
This core may be downloaded from the Xilinx IP Center for use with the Xilinx CORE Generator
System v6.3i and later. The Xilinx CORE Generator system is bundled with all Alliance Series Software
packages at no additional charge.
To order Xilinx software, please visit the Xilinx Silicon Xpresso Cafe or contact your local Xilinx sales
representative.
Information about additional Xilinx LogiCORE modules is available on the Xilinx IP Center.

Revision History
Version

03/28/03

1.0

Revision History added to document.

5/21/04

1.1

Added support for Virtex-4 and v6.2i of the Xilinx CORE Generator system.

11/11/04

1.2

Updated document to indicate support for v6.3i of the Xilinx CORE Generator
system.

Revision

ue

in

nt

co

is

Date

IP

12

www.xilinx.com

DS232 November 11, 2004

Product Specification