Steve wrote:
> I've been looking for historical prices of FPGAs to try and get an
> idea of what I might expect to get for a given price for small
> quantities and came across this post:
>
> http://tinyurl.com/36blb
>
> which has a price table for small quantities (<=25) for January 2000:
>
> Spartan
> XCS05 3PC84C 10.00
> XCS10 3PC84C 18.10
> XCS20 3PQ208C 40.40
> XCS30 3PQ208C 45.35
> XCS40 3PQ208C 49.15
>
> Virtex
> XCV50 4PQ240C 55.40
> XCV100 4PQ240C 104.00
> XCV150 4PQ240C 128.00
> XCV200 4PQ240C 157.00
> XCV300 4PQ240C 244.00
> XCV400 4HQ240C 344.00
> XCV600 4HQ240C 581.00
> XCV800 4HQ240C 860.00
>
I just got some XCS30-3TQ144C for $24, although there was another
broker who assured me that $67 was a really great price for them.
(Yeah, a really great price for HIM!)

I also got a quote a while ago for these parts from a Chinese
supplier that was so low, they had to be either bootlegged or
Chinese copies of the Xilinx part. I decided not to buy from that
supplier, as they wanted a bank wire transfer in advance, too.

>
> Also, what does happen to FPGA prices over time? Do they just reach a
> final value and they never get any cheaper?
No, they get more expensive! I have found that the prices of 5 V
Spartan chips is going UP, and maybe going up wildly! (Like the
guy who though I'd pop for the $67 chips.)

Jon