diff --git a/rtl/ldpc_decoder_core.sv b/rtl/ldpc_decoder_core.sv
index 37278e6..6945a24 100644
--- a/rtl/ldpc_decoder_core.sv
+++ b/rtl/ldpc_decoder_core.sv
@@ -118,7 +118,8 @@ module ldpc_decoder_core #(
         LAYER_READ,     // Read Z beliefs for each of DC columns in current row
         CN_UPDATE,      // Run min-sum CN update on gathered messages
         LAYER_WRITE,    // Write updated beliefs and new CN->VN messages
-        SYNDROME,       // Check syndrome after full iteration
+        SYNDROME_S1,    // Syndrome pipeline stage 1: compute parity bits
+        SYNDROME_S2,    // Syndrome pipeline stage 2: popcount parity vector
         SYNDROME_DONE,  // Read registered syndrome result
         DONE
     } state_t;
@@ -134,10 +135,16 @@ module ldpc_decoder_core #(
     logic signed [Q-1:0] vn_to_cn [DC][Z];  // VN->CN messages for current row
     logic signed [Q-1:0] cn_to_vn [DC][Z];  // new CN->VN messages (output of min-sum)
 
-    // Syndrome check
+    // Syndrome pipeline registers
+    logic [M_BASE*Z-1:0] parity_vec;  // 224-bit registered parity results
     logic [7:0] syndrome_cnt;
     logic       syndrome_ok;
 
+    // Popcount balanced adder tree intermediates (combinational)
+    logic [2:0] pc_l1 [56];  // Level 1: 56 groups of 4 bits → 3-bit counts
+    logic [4:0] pc_l2 [14];  // Level 2: 14 groups of 4 → 5-bit counts
+    logic [6:0] pc_l3 [4];   // Level 3: 4 groups → 7-bit counts
+
     assign effective_max_iter = (max_iter == 0) ? MAX_ITER[4:0] : max_iter;
     assign busy = (state != IDLE) && (state != DONE);
 
@@ -163,12 +170,13 @@ module ldpc_decoder_core #(
             LAYER_WRITE: begin
                 if (col_idx == N_BASE - 1) begin
                     if (row_idx == M_BASE - 1)
-                        state_next = SYNDROME;
+                        state_next = SYNDROME_S1;
                     else
                         state_next = LAYER_READ;  // next row
                 end
             end
-            SYNDROME:    state_next = SYNDROME_DONE;
+            SYNDROME_S1: state_next = SYNDROME_S2;
+            SYNDROME_S2: state_next = SYNDROME_DONE;
             SYNDROME_DONE: begin
                 if (syndrome_ok && early_term_en)
                     state_next = DONE;
@@ -312,10 +320,9 @@ module ldpc_decoder_core #(
                     end
                 end
 
-                SYNDROME: begin
-                    // Check H * c_hat == 0 (compute syndrome weight)
-                    // Only include connected columns (H_BASE >= 0)
-                    syndrome_cnt = '0;
+                // Syndrome Pipeline Stage 1: Compute parity bits (register)
+                // Each parity is only 2-3 XOR levels deep (~3-4 ns)
+                SYNDROME_S1: begin
                     for (int r = 0; r < M_BASE; r++) begin
                         for (int z = 0; z < Z; z++) begin
                             logic parity;
@@ -328,9 +335,35 @@ module ldpc_decoder_core #(
                                     parity = parity ^ beliefs[bit_idx][Q-1];
                                 end
                             end
-                            if (parity) syndrome_cnt = syndrome_cnt + 1;
+                            parity_vec[r * Z + z] <= parity;
                         end
                     end
+                end
+
+                // Syndrome Pipeline Stage 2: Popcount registered parity vector
+                // 224-bit popcount via adder tree (~14 ns)
+                SYNDROME_S2: begin
+                    // Balanced 4-wide adder tree popcount (no loop-carried dependency)
+                    // Level 1: 56 groups of 4 bits → 3-bit counts
+                    for (int i = 0; i < 56; i++)
+                        pc_l1[i] = {2'b0, parity_vec[4*i]} + {2'b0, parity_vec[4*i+1]} +
+                                   {2'b0, parity_vec[4*i+2]} + {2'b0, parity_vec[4*i+3]};
+
+                    // Level 2: 14 groups of 4 three-bit counts → 5-bit counts
+                    for (int i = 0; i < 14; i++)
+                        pc_l2[i] = {2'b0, pc_l1[4*i]} + {2'b0, pc_l1[4*i+1]} +
+                                   {2'b0, pc_l1[4*i+2]} + {2'b0, pc_l1[4*i+3]};
+
+                    // Level 3: 14 → 4 (3 groups of 4 + 1 group of 2) → 7-bit counts
+                    pc_l3[0] = {2'b0, pc_l2[0]}  + {2'b0, pc_l2[1]}  + {2'b0, pc_l2[2]}  + {2'b0, pc_l2[3]};
+                    pc_l3[1] = {2'b0, pc_l2[4]}  + {2'b0, pc_l2[5]}  + {2'b0, pc_l2[6]}  + {2'b0, pc_l2[7]};
+                    pc_l3[2] = {2'b0, pc_l2[8]}  + {2'b0, pc_l2[9]}  + {2'b0, pc_l2[10]} + {2'b0, pc_l2[11]};
+                    pc_l3[3] = {2'b0, pc_l2[12]} + {2'b0, pc_l2[13]};
+
+                    // Level 4: final sum → 8-bit count
+                    syndrome_cnt = {1'b0, pc_l3[0]} + {1'b0, pc_l3[1]} +
+                                   {1'b0, pc_l3[2]} + {1'b0, pc_l3[3]};
+
                     syndrome_weight <= syndrome_cnt;
                     syndrome_ok <= (syndrome_cnt == 0);