NXP Semiconductors MPC7410HX500LE

Overview

MPC7410HX500LE from Freescale Semiconductor is a 500 MHz PowerPC G4 RISC microprocessor with AltiVec™ SIMD engine, 32 KB L1 instruction and data caches, integrated L2 cache controller supporting up to 2 MB external SRAM, and MPX bus interface for high-bandwidth system interconnect. It targets high-performance embedded computing, digital signal processing, and network infrastructure applications requiring hardware-accelerated vector operations.

For engineers reviewing the MPC7410HX500LE datasheet, MPC7410HX500LE pinout, MPC7410HX500LE application, or MPC7410HX500LE equivalent, key selection considerations include its 360-ball HCTE_CBGA package, 1.8 V core supply, configurable I/O voltage options (1.8/2.5/3.3 V), five-state cache coherency protocol, and support for out-of-order execution with eight-entry completion queue.

Technical Context

The MPC7410HX500LE implements the full PowerPC 32-bit architecture with a superscalar, out-of-order execution pipeline delivering up to two instructions per cycle. Its branch unit features a 512-entry BHT and 64-entry BTIC, enabling aggressive speculative execution with dual-stream fetch capability.

It integrates a dedicated 128-bit AltiVec unit with separate permute and ALU subunits, a three-stage floating-point unit compliant with IEEE 754 single- and double-precision arithmetic, and a memory subsystem supporting 64-bit data bus width, 32-bit address bus, and configurable L2 interface with 19-bit addressing and 32/64-bit data path.

Key Specifications

Pinout & Package

Package: 360-ball High Coefficient of Thermal Expansion Ceramic Ball Grid Array (HCTE_CBGA), 27 mm × 27 mm, lead-free C5 spheres. Designed for high-reliability embedded systems with demanding thermal cycling requirements.

Key Features

Applications

Equivalent & Alternatives

The following parts are listed as comparable options for similar RISC microprocessor applications.

Compared with MPC7410HX500LE, MPC7455EC delivers higher peak compute but demands revised power delivery and cooling, while PPC440EP trades AltiVec capability for integration and efficiency-making MPC7410HX500LE the optimal balance of vector acceleration, thermal manageability, and mature ecosystem support.

Availability

MPC7410HX500LE is available at Aetrix Electronics and suitable for telecom infrastructure, avionics display systems, and industrial motion control applications requiring stable component supply and long-term lifecycle assurance.

Supply support for MPC7410HX500LE includes scheduled delivery planning, volume procurement assistance, BOM continuity management, traceable sourcing, and lifecycle availability coordination for OEM customers, industrial embedded developers, connected-device designers, and electronics production programs.

Manufacturer

Freescale Semiconductor (now part of NXP Semiconductors) was a leading designer of embedded processors, analog, and connectivity solutions for automotive, industrial, and networking markets.

The MPC7410HX500LE belongs to Freescale's PowerPC G4 family, engineered specifically for high-performance embedded computing where AltiVec-accelerated signal processing, deterministic real-time response, and multi-processor scalability are essential.

FAQ

What is the maximum guaranteed operating frequency of the MPC7410HX500LE?

The MPC7410HX500LE is binned and tested to guarantee stable operation at 500 MHz under all recommended operating conditions-including 1.8 V ± 100 mV core supply, junction temperature ≤105°C, and proper SYSCLK timing per Table 7. This rating reflects worst-case silicon, thermal, and voltage margins-not typical or average performance. The MPC7410HX500LE does not support overclocking beyond this specification.

Does the MPC7410HX500LE support 3.3 V I/O on the L2 cache interface?

No, the MPC7410HX500LE removes 3.3 V I/O support on the L2 cache interface. L2OVDD must be supplied at either 1.8 V ± 100 mV or 2.5 V ± 100 mV, selected by L2VSEL. This differs from the processor bus (OVDD), which supports 3.3 V when BVSEL = ¬HRESET. The MPC7410HX500LE datasheet explicitly states "The MPC7410 removes support for 3.3-V I/O on the L2 cache interface."

How does the MPC7410HX500LE handle cache coherency in multiprocessor systems?

The MPC7410HX500LE implements a five-state cache coherency protocol (MESI plus Shared Intervention) in hardware. This enables fully automatic cache synchronization across multiple MPC7410HX500LE CPUs without software cache-flush instructions. Snooping occurs on both L1 data cache tags and external bus transactions, ensuring atomicity for shared memory regions in symmetric multiprocessing configurations.

What thermal management guidance applies to the MPC7410HX500LE in HCTE_CBGA packaging?

For the MPC7410HX500LE in HCTE_CBGA, Freescale specifies RθJMA = 20 °C/W under natural convection on a four-layer board. To maintain Tj ≤ 105°C at full-on 5.3 W typical power, a heatsink with ≤15 °C/W thermal resistance is required. The MPC7410HX500LE also supports doze/nap/sleep modes to reduce dynamic power-critical for sealed enclosures where forced airflow is unavailable.

Can the MPC7410HX500LE execute AltiVec instructions in little-endian mode?

Yes, the MPC7410HX500LE supports AltiVec instruction execution in both big-endian and little-endian byte addressing modes, including misaligned little-endian loads/stores within double-word boundaries. This capability is confirmed in Section 5 of the Hardware Specifications document, which states: "Big- and little-endian byte addressing supported - Misaligned little-endian supported." The MPC7410HX500LE handles endianness transparently at the vector unit level without performance penalty.