Bob Perlman wrote:
>
> On 30 Dec 2003 09:53:47 -0800, [email protected] (Kolja Sulimma) wrote:
>
> >> If you think there's even a chance that you're going to be designing
> >> in a certain component, get a formal price quote from the salesman,
> >> rep, or distributor. And if you can't get a quote, maybe you can't
> >> get the part, either.
> >> > Bob Perlman
> >> Cambrian Design Works
> >
> >The issue was, that the formal quotes for pieces in 5k quantities
> >where a factor of 20 above the prices quoted by Xilinx for 250k
> >quantities.
> >And nobody in this group really believed that you get a 95% volume
> >discount.
>
> If a formal quote for 5k pieces comes in at 20X a formal quote for
> 250k pieces, that's interesting information. But if a formal quote
> for 5k pieces is 20X the 250k price stated in a press release, that's
> hardly surprising.
>
> Which is it?
>
> Any price you see in a press release should have a "j" after it.

"J" for joke?

A friend told me that the 50,000 piece price on the slowest XC3S400 in
the FG456 package would be around $20. The press releases are talking
about the "smallest" package and 250,000 quantities giving a price
around $5. I don't know what the "smallest" package is, but I would
like to meet the guy who is getting the $5 price. Seems to me the whole
point of the Spartan 3 chips is low price. They are not faster, or
lower power or anything else other than cheap. If they don't come in
below the competition, what good are they? Heck, with three power
supplies and very touchy IO voltage specs, they seem to me like a PITA
to design in!