Ballistix Sport AT DDR4-3200 2x16GB Memory Kit Review

Memory by stefan @ 2020-01-28

The Sport AT 32GB kit from Ballistix can deliver good performance and compatibility out of the box, while the XMP profiles are guaranteed on both Intel and AMD systems. This particular model was made to fit in with the ASUS TUF Gaming Alliance color scheme and this means that we are dealing with a pretty futuristic-looking heat-spreader; no RGB lighting is available with this kit though! By keeping the stock timings and voltage, we could squeeze even more performance out of it by overclocking to 3466MHz.

Introduction

 

 

At first we would like to thank Ballistix Gaming for sending a sample of their Sport AT DDR4-3200 2x16GB Kit for testing and reviewing.

 

 

About Crucial:

 

“Looking for computer memory or a new storage drive? You've come to the right place!

 

Crucial is a global brand of Micron Technology, Inc., one of the largest memory and flash storage manufacturers in the world. We make computer memory upgrades (DRAM) and solid state drives (SSDs), and offer more than 250,000 upgrades for over 50,000 systems. For 17 years, we've sought to provide the Crucial Difference — award-winning products, outstanding support, and a team of memory and storage experts who explain complex lingo in everyday terms. We're here to help improve the performance of your system.

 

Crucial memory and SSDs have been qualified and approved by major original equipment manufacturers, and every single module that leaves our doors has been rigorously tested at the component and module level. That's a big deal in the memory industry, but it's not all. When it comes to our SSDs, each drive undergoes over a thousand hours of prerelease validation testing and hundreds of qualification tests to ensure optimal reliability and performance.

 

To find upgrades in just a few clicks, our award-winning Crucial System Scanner or Crucial Memory Advisor™ tool will identify compatible upgrades for your system, and if you order on Crucial.com, we guarantee compatibility — or your money back. With fast and free shipping, outstanding tech support, and an exhaustive library of articles, videos, and install guides, we make it easy to find and install the right upgrade for your system.

 

Let us be your memory and storage experts.”

 

Product Features, Specifications

Product Features:

 

The gaming force multiplier

Add Ballistix Sport AT memory to your build and instantly fire up your gaming performance. Loaded with an arsenal of RAM density and speed, Sport AT DDR4 modules help give you the fast, smooth performance you need to build with authority and successfully complete your gaming objectives.

Game like a boss and equip your rig with Ballistix Sport AT memory.

 

Module densities up to 16GB, DDR4 speeds up to 3200 MT/s

Near-instant performance and responsiveness help turn your machine from a computer into a lethal gaming rig.

 

Battle-tested design

From components to cases, style meets substance, so your build looks and plays great.

 

Building made easy

Sport AT modules have the look and specs to accomplish your missions, whether you’re a new builder or an experienced gamer.

 

Quick plug-and-play installation

XMP 2.0 profiles make it simple to install modules and instantly get up to speed.

 

Battle-tested for ASUS® TUF Gaming motherboards Developed in collaboration with ASUS, Sport AT memory is guaranteed to be compatible with ASUS TUF Gaming setups. A unique new heat spreader also aesthetically complements the TUF Gaming style, so your board looks its best.

 

Micron quality: Pro gamer reliability — As the only major gaming brand that’s built and tested from start to finish as part of a major memory manufacturer, Ballistix DRAM delivers a higher level of performance than regular PC gaming memory. For 40 years, we’ve engineered old-school DDR memory all the way to Ballistix DDR4 modules, which empower the future of gaming performance. Backed by competitive warranties, a hardcore community of fans, and a dedicated gamer support team, Ballistix memory is ready to take your in-game performance to the next level.

 

 

Product Specifications:

 

Brand: Ballistix

Warranty: Limited Lifetime

Series: Ballistix Sport

Form Factor: UDIMM

Total Capacity: 32GB Kit (16GBx2)

Specs: DDR4 PC4-25600 • 16-18-18 • Unbuffered • NON-ECC • DDR4-3200 • 1.35V • 2048Meg x 64

Kit Qty: 2

Speed: 3200 MT/S

DIMM Type: Unbuffered

ECC: NON-ECC

Voltage: 1.35V

 

Packaging, A Closer Look

In this article, we will concentrate our attention upon another Ballistix DDR4 32GB memory kit, composed of two 16GB memory modules and featuring 16-18-18-36 main memory latencies. The modules are offered with an attractive TUF Gaming Alliance theme heat-spreader that helps keep the RAM at optimal temperatures during operation.

 

The kit packaging is very simple and does allow customers to look at the detailed design of the product without opening the enclosure; here we will also spot a sticker with the kit technical specifications, along with the internal code name and serial number:

 

 

 

The black 10-layer PCB of the modules are accompanied by the futuristic look of the heatsinks; in the center we’ll spot the product brand name with white fonts:

 

 

 

The opposite side is identical, only that here we will also spot two additional stickers:

 

 

 

One of it does contain some codes and the confirmation that the modules were produced in Malaysia:

 

 

 

The second one does list the internal code name of the module, the presence of XMP profile but also the rated CAS latencies, speed and voltage rating:

 

 

 

A closer look at the heat-spreader design does reveal more details; they would resemble design elements from a high-performance sports car without going over the top, thanks to the gunmetal color scheme:

 

 

 

 

The same color scheme is preserved in the top area of the modules as well:

 

 

 

Let’s install the kit in our test machine and see what it’s capable of!

 

 

 

Test Setup and Test Results Part I

Test Setup

 

CPU: Intel i7 9700K Retail

CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i GTX

Motherboard: Gigabyte Z370 AORUS Ultra Gaming

RAM: Currently tested kit

Video: XFX Radeon RX 5700 XT 8GB GDDR6 RAW II Ultra

Power Supply: Cooler Master 850W

SSD: OCZ Vector 150

Case: Cooler Master HAF 922

 

The pre-programmed timings and frequencies can be also found by using AIDA64; the DRAM IC manufacturer is listed as Micron:

 

 

After testing at all standard frequencies starting with 2133 at default XMP timings, we tried to overclock the kit by getting one step above and to be more exact at 3466MHz. The kit performed great at 1.35V after setting the primary CAS latencies as XMP, but we needed to let the board set the secondary timings at default since with the stock ones we could not boot. We have tested stability with TestMem5 0.12 but also by running our benchmark suite multiple times. Going even further to 3600MHz was a no-go, since we did not succeed to boot even with more relaxed timings.

 

 

Starting with the JEDEC 2133MHz, we did benchmark the RAM step-by-step up to its stock 3200MHz frequency, in order for you to spot the performance differences. We did also benchmark until the maximum stable frequency of 3466, but because of the increased secondary timings, only some applications took advantage of the increased bandwidth.

Test Results

 

SuperPI XS 1.5 2MB

 

GeekBench 4

 

Blender Ryzen Rendering

 

 

 

 

 

Test Results Part II

 

AIDA64 Bandwidth

 

CineBench R15 Rendering

 

HWBOT X265 Encoding

 

PCMark 8

 

Ashes of Singularity - CPU Focused

 

PCMark 10

 

 

 

Conclusive Thoughts

The Sport AT 32GB kit from Ballistix can deliver good performance and compatibility out of the box, while the XMP profiles are guaranteed on both Intel and AMD systems. This particular model was made to fit in with the ASUS TUF Gaming Alliance color scheme and this means that we are dealing with a pretty futuristic-looking heat-spreader; no RGB lighting is available with this kit though! By keeping the stock timings and voltage, we could squeeze even more performance out of it by overclocking to 3466MHz.

 

As we have seen with other Micron memory kits in the past, these are backed up by a limited lifetime warranty, while the BLS2K16G4D32AEST kit could be found online at the time of the review for about 154 Euros.

Ballistix Sport AT DDR4-3200 2x16GB Kit is Recommended for:

 

 

We would like to thank again to Ballistix Gaming for making this review possible!

 

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