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prefetchable/non-prefetchable memory

Altera_Forum
Honored Contributor II
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Hi I wanted to use a 32bit prefetchable on-chip memory with PCIe but SOPC builder will only allow 32bit non-prefetchable. I only wanted to use the prefetchable type because it seemed to be the recommended type, but i guess with SOPC builder, i hv to stick with the non-p. Are there any concerns in using this type? I simply want to write data into 1 port and later another system will read it via the other port. will the non-prefetchable do? The other portion is using a 64bit which allows the prefetchable, but i only need 32 bits and will be writing and reading using 32 bit wide bus. I don't want the extra burden of controlling the byte enables. what are the implications of not using the bus enables if i read and write on just the half of the bus?

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Altera_Forum
Honored Contributor II
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32 vs. 64 bit is the address bus width, not the data bus width, you know? And depending on your PCI BAR size, you’ll just see a fraction of these 64 bits of PCI address internally. 

 

I would be more concerned with the choice of prefetchable vs. non-prefetchable and the implication about data consistency and order of access. And the question how to bridge the gap to high-performance data transfers, i.e. DMA. 

 

With DMA you typically have just one BAR for a small number of non-prefetchable registers. Reading such a register might have side effects and must be in-order, so a prefetchable memory BAR is a no-go for such a register.
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