PXIe FPGA Boards › NI PXIe Alternative Solutions › PXIe-790x/791x Series › PXIe-7903 Alternative
From $15,977 vs NI List Price of $53,557
NI PXIe-7903 Alternative: Conduant Optical FPGA Boards for High-Speed Serial Applications
The NI PXIe-7903 is a high-end board. If your application was designed around its full spec envelope, Conduant may not be the right replacement. If you were using a fraction of that headroom, Conduant delivers comparable results at 57 to 70% below NI list pricing. Our engineers can determine which situation applies to your workload.
Bring your application requirements. Our engineers tell you directly whether Conduant is a fit — or isn't.
Conduant PXIe-8324 — evaluated as a NI PXIe-7903 alternative for many optical FPGA applications
Before You Evaluate
Here Is What To Consider for PXIe-7903 Replacement.
The NI PXIe-7903 ships with 2,586,000 logic cells, 9,216 DSP slices, 48 serial lanes at 28 Gbps, and 20 GB DRAM at 53.2 GB/s. Conduant boards carry fewer logic cells, fewer DSP slices, fewer serial lanes, and significantly DRAM. On those specs, the 7903 is genuinely in a different class.
Where Conduant competes is on applications where the 7903's headline specs were never fully utilized. Many teams purchase the 7903 for its optical interface and protocol support, then use a fraction of its FPGA fabric and DRAM in production. If that describes your situation, the cost delta — up to $37,580 per board — is worth an engineering conversation.
When Conduant Is and Is Not the Right Answer
Likely a Good Fit
- ›Application uses 24 or fewer optical lanes
- ›DRAM buffer requirement is under 8 GB
- ›FPGA fabric utilization on the 7903 was below 50%
- ›Protocol support (Aurora, ODI, Interlaken) is the primary requirement
Needs Engineering Review
- ›DSP slice count is significant to the design
- ›Interlaken core count (7903 has 6 vs PXIe-8324's 2)
- ›Serial lane speed — 28 Gbps vs 16.3 Gbps per lane
- ›DRAM buffer usage between 8 GB and 20 GB
Likely Not a Fit
- ›Application requires all 48 serial lanes simultaneously
- ›DRAM buffer requirement exceeds 8 GB
- ›Design was optimized for the full KU15P fabric
- ›DRAM bandwidth at 53.2 GB/s is a hard requirement
Full Spec Comparison
NI PXIe-7903 vs Conduant — Side by Side
Specs where Conduant is stronger are highlighted green. Specs where NI leads are shown plainly — no color masking. Pricing reflects NI published list price versus Conduant standard pricing.
Specs where NI leads are shown without color treatment. Nothing is hidden. Our engineers will give you the same assessment in a conversation.
Conduant Alternatives to Evaluate
Two Boards Worth Considering for PXIe-7903 Applications
The PXIe-8324 is the standard optical replacement. The PXIe-8324-DSP adds higher DSP slice count for signal processing-intensive workloads. Neither matches the 7903 on raw fabric size or DRAM — the question is whether your application needs what the 7903 has above what these boards provide.
Conduant PXIe-8324
$15,977
AMD Kintex Ultrascale KU095 with dual MPO24 optical connectors, 24 high-speed serial lanes at 16.3 Gbps, PCIe Gen3 x8, and 8 GB DDR3. Two Interlaken cores included. Supports Aurora, ODI, Serial FPDP, and other standard optical protocols. Core FPGA IP ships with the board.
Key Specs
FPGA: AMD Kintex Ultrascale XCKU095
Logic Cells: 1,176,000
PCIe: Gen3 x8 (8 GB/s)
HSS: 24 optical lanes @ 16.3 Gbps (dual MPO24)
DRAM: 8 GB DDR3 @ 25.6 GB/s
Interlaken: 2 cores
Conduant PXIe-8324-DSP
$24,677
For DSP-intensive applications where signal processing workload drives the design. The KU115 FPGA carries 5,250 DSP48E2 slices — still below the 7903's 9,216, but at less than half the price. If your application uses the 7903 primarily for its DSP capacity at moderate lane count, this board is worth evaluating carefully.
Key Specs
FPGA: AMD Kintex Ultrascale KU115 or KU085
Logic Cells: 1,451,000 (KU115)
DSP Slices: 5,250 (DSP48E2) — KU115
PCIe: Gen3 x8 (8 GB/s)
HSS: 24 optical lanes @ 16.3 Gbps (dual MPO24)
DRAM: 8 GB DDR3 @ 25.6 GB/s
Not Sure If Conduant Fits Your PXIe-7903 Application?
Tell us what you're doing with the board — lane count in use, DRAM utilization, FPGA resource usage, and key protocols. Our engineers will give you a direct answer on whether we're the right replacement.
Evaluating other 790x models? View the full PXIe-790x/791x series comparison.