A text file generated by the Quartus® Prime Standard Edition software that contains design information, which you can import into a supported device(ArriaII GX, Cycloneseries, MAX, MAX II, and StratixIV) family Early Power Estimation Spreadsheet. You can download a device family-specific Early Power Estimation Spreadsheet from the Altera website to obtain a preliminary power requirement estimate for a design.
You can generate this file by clicking the Generate PowerPlay Early Power Estimator File command on the Project menu. For supported device(ArriaII GX, CycloneIV, MAX, MAX II, and StratixIV) families, this command generates a file named <design name>_early_pwr.csv.
If the current project represents only a portion of the full design, after importing the PowerPlay Early Power Estimator file into the Early Power Estimation Spreadsheet, you should manually enter the additional resources used in the final design. Because the Compiler treats shift register RAM and FIFO RAM as simple dual-port RAM, a PowerPlay Early Power Estimator file does not contain mode information that differentiates between a design's shift register, FIFO, and simple dual-port RAM. Therefore, in the Early Power Estimator Spreadsheet, you must manually select the correct mode for each shift register, FIFO, and simple dual-port RAM listed.