Crucial opts for blatant elitism in its new
Ballistix series
I've been a fan of Crucial Ballistix ever
since a rather smart pair of cadmium yellow DDR2 sticks bearing the brand
landed on my desk many moons ago.
It still makes yellow modules, but they're
now called Ballistix Tactical, and its new flagship product is these black
Ballistix Elite.
Comparing these with a pair of older
Ballistix Thermal Sensor, I noted that the comb-like heat spreader hasn't
changed much since 2009, although that 4GB kit cost just under £100, where this
8GB one is less than $96.
That said, in memory terms 8GB at 1866MHz
speed rating can be had for less than this, so what makes these 'Elite'?
Well, according to the marketing material,
these are designed for 'unprecedented gaming performance' no less. Cutting
through the hype, what Crucial appears to have done here is produce some
high-quality modules, with a decent performance range and built-in thermal
sensors that system tweakers might well appreciate.
Crucial rates these as PC3-14900, or
1866MHz modules with 9-9-9-27 timings, which by modern standards isn't
exceptionally high, but greater than typical default memory settings.
Delving into the internal SPD chart, there
are no less than eight different SPD settings, with three JEDEC options and
five XMP modes. As seems to be the norm these days with memory makers, the
vaunted 1866MHz mode isn't one of them. Instead, those wanting big clock
options can take either 1908MHz at the quoted 9-9-9-27 timings, or 2120MHz at
10-10-10-30 settings. Technically, that makes these modules PC3-17000, though
most people don't run CL10 timings.
At the other end of the scale, you can punt
for a much more conservative 1272MHz and trade off the clock speed for some
very tight 6-6-6-16 timings. What overclockers here will like is the scope of
clocks and timings, and knowing Crucial Ballistix as I do, there is obviously
some scope for even greater clock adjustments or tighter timings for those
wishing to make manual adjustments. I had these up above 2200MHz with no issues
and no voltage adjustments above the standard 1.5V needed.
The only real concern I have about these
sticks is that the size of the spreader could be an issue on some systems where
the RAM sockets and CPU are in close proximity. They're 5cm high, so if you
don't have that much clearance, they just won't fit.
If you don't use a 64-bit OS, and just need
4GB in total, Crucial also does these in that configuration, but they're
$67.184, so not as good value as these modules. It also does them in
triple-channel packs for those using LGA 1366, and quad channel is promised.
Details
Price: $75
Manufacturer: Crucial
Website: www.crucial.com
Required spec: System that accepts two
DDRS 4GB modules
Part Number: BLE2KIT4G3D1869DE1TX0
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