Crucial offers Ballistix RAM in the
scale of capacities that people once only dreamed of
Here's a question for you: how much RAM is
enough? I ask this only because, having just received these new Ballistix
Tactical LP dual-stick kit (each module is 8GB, making 16GB in a pair), it was
a burning question in my mind.
Hoping that the answer is that you can
never, ever have enough, these are modules the likes of which this reviewer has
never previously experienced.
Crucial
Ballistix Tactical LP 16GB Kit
Bearing the now iconic Ballistix Logo and
mustard color scheme, these are specifically made to combat the exceptionally
poor ergonomic restraint of CPU cooler makers. As such, they're low profile
(LP), and at just 24mm from edge connector up, they're some of the shortest
modules I've seen.
The 'Tactical' part comes in the form of a
sleek laser-cut heat spreader, which is actually two unconnected pieces that
are glued to memory modules mounted on both sides of the DIMM.
The modules themselves are built from 64
memory modules each containing 1024 megabits, and they're PC3-12800 or 1600MHz
rated. The timing on them is 8-8-8-24, which is reasonably fast. The beauty of
the Ballistix brand is that modules made to this standard can be tweaked to
either run at a higher clock speed than specified or with tighter timings.
These are no exception, and the the SPD
coding in them offers you a wide range Crucial offers Ballistix RAM in the
scale of capacities that people once only dreamed of of automatic options, for
those who don't like to hand crank their memory settings. At the low end of the
JEDEC table, you can clock down to 914MHz, but embrace 6-6-6-23 timings, which
is one of the four on offer in that set. The XMP modes are more numerous,
having five possibilities, of which the de facto 1600MHz one is in the middle
of the pack. The most extreme is 2000MHz with 10-10-10-30 timings, which just
hints at what these modules might be capable of if pushed hard.
Speed options are nice, especially for
overclocking, but the greatest aspect of these modules is the enormous size. On
a typical PC motherboard, modules of this size would allow for 32GB of RAM. On
my LGA 2011 test rig, which has no less than eight memory slots, 64GB is possible.
If I was willing to part with the $619, that experiment would cost me.
It's worth pointing out to anyone
interested in going that far or further, that you'll need a 64-bit version of
Windows 7, and Home Premium only supports 16GB in total, where Professional,
Enterprise and Ultimate editions will entertain a whopping 192GB.
However, it's best feature is also its
major weakness, because not all motherboards will accept 8GB modules,
unfortunately. That's not a physical limitation, because they'll fit, but it's
usually either a chipset or BIOS limit. They worked on my Intel X79 chipset
test rig, but I've seen reports that some AMD 990FX motherboards don't care for
modules this big.
Unless you research your particular
hardware to check compatibility, you might well find that the system refuses to
boot with these in place, or it works but you only get a maximum of 4GB or 8GB.
Equally, it might work faultlessly, but don't assume anything.
It's for that reason only that I'm not yet
sure that the world is really ready for these, which is a shame, because they
cost relatively little for such for a massive amount of high quality memory.
The only complaint I have about them is
that the spreader being split means that the edges of it stick into your thumb
when you're pressing them down into the memory slots, which can be painful. The
discomfort doesn't last long, and it's not like you'll be repeating that job
often.
If you do own a system that will accept
these, then fill your boots.
Details
·
Price: $154
·
Manufacturer: Crucial
·
Website: www.crucial.com
·
Required spec: System that accepts two DDR3
8GB modules
·
Part number: BLT2C8G3D1608ET3LX0CEU
Specifications
·
Module Size: 16GB kit (8GBx2)
·
Package: Ballistix 240-pin DIMM
·
Rating: DDR3 PC3-12800
·
Timing 8-8-8-24
·
Memory Type: Unbuffered, NON-ECC
·
DDR3 Type: DDR3-1600
·
Default voltage: 1.35V
·
Memory Layout: 1024MB x 64
·
Physical Design: Low profile
Verdict
·
Quality: 8
·
Value: 9
·
Overall: 9
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