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The “10 Favorite FPGA-Based Prototyping Boards” roundup was published by Adam Taylor in EE Times on May 10, 2016. It is a historical snapshot, not a reliable list of the best boards to buy in 2026. The accessible article pages identify several examples—from large ASIC-prototyping systems to compact development boards—but do not expose all ten entries. The useful takeaway is how widely FPGA boards differ in scale and purpose, and why a good choice starts with your design’s resource and interface requirements.
What the 2016 roundup covers—and what it does not
Taylor presents development boards as a way to evaluate designs and reduce technical risk before committing to custom hardware. He also makes the essential qualification: there is no single board suited to every application. The original article’s accessible pages describe a selection of systems, but not every entry in its ten-board carousel. The examples below are therefore a partial account, not a reconstructed top-ten ranking.
The article spans very different jobs. A multi-FPGA ASIC prototyping system, a high-performance FPGA card, an Arty development board, a SmartFusion 2 kit, and a compact Parallella board are not interchangeable choices. Their capabilities should be judged against the work you need to do, rather than compared as if they were competitors in one category.
Examples identified in the article
| Board or system | What the 2016 article describes | Context and qualification |
|---|---|---|
| HAPS 80 system | The HAPS 80 series is described as using Xilinx UltraScale VU440 devices. The article reports that a 64-FPGA system enabled simulation of up to 1.6 billion ASIC gates. | This is a capability reported by the 2016 article, not a current HAPS specification or an independently verified performance result. EE Times, May 10, 2016; Part 3. |
| Altera Stratix 5 card | High-performance memory, high-speed mezzanine interfaces, and Gigabit Ethernet. | The article associates it with broadcast, networking, and other demanding applications; it is not a general-purpose beginner-board recommendation. EE Times, Part 2. |
| Virtex UltraScale-based board | Two FMC slots, RLDRAM and QDR2+ memory options, and high-speed networking interfaces. | The described configuration illustrates a resource-rich option for designs with demanding memory and I/O needs. EE Times, Part 3. |
| Arty | Pmod and Arduino Shield interfaces, QSPI flash, DDR3L memory, and a Vivado Design Suite license are listed. The article connects the memory to MicroBlaze soft-core applications. | The 2016 description does not establish present software licensing terms, board availability, or the contents of a current listing. A secondary article dated May 25, 2026 names Arty A7-35T and A7-100T variants; verify the exact model and package before buying. EE Times, Part 5; TechBloat, May 25, 2026. |
| SmartFusion 2 development kit | FPGA fabric combined with an embedded ARM Cortex-M3, memory options, and FMC interfaces. | The article suggests industrial, power, and military applications. These are historical descriptions, not confirmation of current availability or suitability for a particular project. EE Times, Part 5. |
| Parallella | A Xilinx Zynq FPGA paired with a 16-core Epiphany coprocessor, along with Gigabit Ethernet and HDMI. | The 2016 article gives control, instrumentation, and software-defined radio (SDR) as example application areas. EE Times, Part 6. |
Several carousel pages were not recoverable, so the other entries cannot be named reliably from the available article pages. The six examples here should not be mistaken for the original article’s complete list.
#1 Best Overall
- Designed for students and beginners looking to understand Digital Logic, fundamentals of FPGAs
- Features the Xilinx Artix 7 FPGA compatible with Vivado Design Suite WebPACK Edition (free download available from Xilinx)
- On board user interfaces include 16 user switches, 16 LEDs, 5 user pushbuttons, and a
- Expansion opportunities with four Pmod ports including 3 standard 12-pin Pmod ports and 1 dual
- Does NOT ship with micro USB cable
How to choose an FPGA prototyping board for your project
Use the roundup as a reminder to define the job before choosing a board. A compact learning platform and an ASIC prototyping system solve different problems; the right match depends on resources, interfaces, and the complexity of your design. A later secondary roundup also identifies toolchain support as a selection factor, but check software compatibility against the board and FPGA family you intend to use.
1. Decide what kind of device you need
Check the FPGA family and capacity, and determine whether the design needs an SoC with a hard processor subsystem. Simple logic exercises may not benefit from the resources of a high-end device, while complex prototyping or signal-processing work can outgrow a mid-range board. The 2016 article’s contrast between large systems and development boards is a practical reminder to size the device for the workload.
Rank #2
- Arty A7 comes in two FPGA variants: Arty A7-35T features Xilinx XC7A35TICSG324-1L. Arty A7-100T features the larger Xilinx XC7A100TCSG324-1.
- Internal clock speeds exceeding 450MHz, On-chip analog-to-digital converter (XADC), Programmable over JTAG and Quad-SPI Flash
- 256MB DDR3L with a 16-bit bus @ 667MHz, 16MB Quad-SPI Flash, USB-JTAG Programming circuitry, Powered from USB or any 7V-15V source
- 10/100 Mbps Ethernet, USB-UART Bridge
- 4 Switches, 4 Buttons, 1 Reset Button, 4 LEDs, 4 RGB LEDs, 4 Pmod connectors, shield connector
2. Match memory to data movement
List what must be stored, buffered, or accessed by the processor, then compare the board’s memory type, capacity, and bandwidth with those needs. The described boards range from ordinary onboard memory to high-performance options such as RLDRAM and QDR2+. A memory type alone does not establish that a board can meet your workload’s bandwidth requirements; check the exact board documentation.
3. Check the actual I/O and expansion signals
Identify the interfaces your design needs and confirm they are routed to accessible connectors. The examples include Pmod, Arduino Shield, and FMC interfaces, alongside networking and display connections. An expansion connector is useful only if the required signals are present and a compatible module or card is available; confirm electrical and mechanical compatibility for the exact board revision.
Rank #3
- [FPGA Chip] GW2AR-18 QN88 FPGA Chip containing 20736 LUT4 logic cells and 15552 Filp-Flops.There are 2 PLL in this FPGA chip, and many DSP units supporting 18 bit x 18 bit multiplication
- [Onboard Debugger ] Sipeed Tang Nano 20K Development Board support JTAG for FPGA, USB to UART for FPGA,USB to SPI for FPGA communication, Control MS5351 generate frequency
- [USB2.0 HS interface] The 27MHz crystal generates the clock for HDMI display, onboard MS5351 clock generating chip also provides mutiple clocks.Support Serial communication, high-speed SPI reception.
- [Application scenarios] Tang Nano 20K Open source Development Board supports game console emulators, drives RGB screens, multiple display outputs, 20K LUT4, RISC-V soft-core experiments.
- [Wiki] "dl.sipeed.com/shareURL/TANG/Nano_20K/1_Datasheet";Any after-Sales Privems, Please Contact us by click "Waypondev" store and ask a question or leave the message in our forum by "forum.youyeetoo .com/".
4. Verify the toolchain for the exact board
Before committing to a design, confirm that the supported design software, device family, examples, and any required licenses match the board you plan to use. A mention of a software suite in a 2016 article does not establish its current licensing terms or support status. Board revision and tool versions can matter as much as the product family name.
5. Balance capacity against project complexity
Ask whether the design gains anything from high-end resources or whether a mid-range board can exercise the interfaces and logic you actually need. Excess capacity can add cost and project complexity without improving the prototype; too little can constrain implementation or testing. The goal is sufficient headroom for the intended design, not the largest specification available.
Rank #4
- The best way to get started with FPGAs: Using a simple board with projects that build on eachother, now anyone can get started with FPGA development!
- Fun peripherals available: With 4 LEDs, 4 push-buttons, 7-segment display, USB connector, a VGA connector, and a PMOD (for expansion) you can have dozens of fun projects available to you out of the box!
- Works with Verilog and VHDL: No matter which programming language you want to get started with, the Go Board will work for you!
- No extra device required: Simply plug the Go Board into a USB port and go! Getting started with FPGAs has never been easier.
- Works with all operating systems: Windows, Mac, Linux
6. Check current sourcing only after narrowing the candidates
Current stock, price, lifecycle status, regional availability, warranty, included cables, and successor models were not established for the historical examples here. Confirm those details with the manufacturer or seller for the exact model and revision before placing an order; do not assume a 2016 board description represents a current product listing.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why the list should not be treated as a 2026 buying ranking
The EE Times article dates to May 10, 2016, and its author notes that board choices change over time. A separate TechBloat roundup published May 25, 2026 offers more recent category discussion and names Arty A7-35T and A7-100T variants, but it is a secondary source and does not verify live availability, pricing, or official successor status. Treat the original article as historical context and verify any candidate against current manufacturer documentation and listings.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- Digilent Basys 3 Artix-7 FPGA Trainer Board: Recommended for Introductory Users
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