Memory by stefan @ 2020-05-29
The latest Crucial Ballistix kits do tick all the boxes for a mainstream memory kit, now that 32GB versions are beginning to become more affordable. The clever thin and low-profile head-spreader allows bigger CPU heatsinks to be installed, while the top light bar can be configured to match the rest of your setup, since it is compatible with RGB tools from known mainboard manufacturers.
At first we would like to thank Crucial for sending a sample of their Ballistix RGB 32GB Kit (2 x 16GB) DDR4-3200 Desktop Gaming Memory for testing and reviewing.
“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.”
Modern Design
Anodized aluminum heat spreader available in black, white, or red. Low-profile form factor is ideal for smaller or space-limited rigs.
Bold RGB Effects
Low-profile form factor, ideal for smaller rigs. Customize your rig’s color scheme with 16 RGB LEDs in 8 zones on each Crucial Ballistix RGB module.
Redefine Game Performance
XMP 2.0 support and pre-defined profiles let you overclock2 to extract maximum performance. Select the JEDEC default profile for standard performance.
Compatibility Tested
We work with AMD and Intel, as well as motherboard designers and system builders, to ensure our memory is optimized for high performance.
Precision Parts
As the manufacturer of memory components, we do more than bin parts. We optimize performance at the die level.
Speed - DDR4-3200
Warranty - Limited 10-year warranty
ECC - NON-ECC
CAS Latency - 16
DRAM Family - Ballistix
Density - 32GB Kit (16GBx2)
Brand - Crucial
Module Type - UDIMM
Extended Timings - 16-18-18-36
Form Factor - UDIMM
Technology - DDR4
Voltage - 1.35V
PC Speed - PC4-25600
Kit Qty - 2
Specs - DDR4 PC4-25600 • 16-18-18 • Unbuffered • NON-ECC • DDR4-3200 • 1.35V • 2048Meg x 64
DIMM Type - Unbuffered
The latest revision of the Crucial Ballistix memory kits does feature a complete redesign, with anodized aluminum heatsinks in different colors, XMP 2.0 support and AMD compatibility as well. The user is free to choose between RGB and non-RGB enabled SKUs, while the RGB lighting is compatible with software from popular motherboard manufacturers.
The RAM kits do also feature a revised cardboard packaging, which looks more professional than before! On the frontal area, we will get to see the current kit specifications, but also a small; window, so the potential customer can check out the heatsink design without unsealing the box:
A short product description is available on the back in multiple languages, together with the product serial number and code name:
After removing the outside packaging layer, we will note that the modules are also protected inside a transparent plastic mold:
The kits are available with heat-spreaders in black, white or red, in order to match the rest of your computer setup. Here we have received a 32GB kit (2x16GB modules) in black color:
The low height of the cooling system does assure compatibility with larger heatsinks, while the overall design is quite minimalistic, without a lot of graphics drawn on both sides:
In the middle of the heatsink, we will find the Ballistix logo, along with the Crucial brand logo:
The back side of the module is quite similar, only here we will find some additional information via one plastic sticker:
The sticker notes the internal code name, the operating frequency, CAS latencies but also the stock voltage:
On the top area of the module, we will get to see how the two heat-sink components are joined together, while in the middle we will spot a light bar. Under the bar, the modules feature 16 RGB LEDs in 8 zones, which are configurable by the motherboard manufacturer’s RGB utility:
We will conduct our testing on the Gigabyte Z370 Ultra Gaming, which has plenty of RGB customization on its own PCB as well:
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:
Besides testing the memory modules at XMP timings, we have also compared the results with the ones obtained at 2133, 2400, 2666 and 3000. Afterwards, we tried a bit of overclocking and see how much we can go, while preserving the stock operating voltages: 3466MHz was doable at 16-18-18-38, but the overall performance increase was not that spectacular. Tried afterwards to boot at 3600MHz at even more relaxed timings, but BIOS test sequence was not passing successfully at all!
Before performing the actual benchmarks, stability was tested with the TestMem5 v0.12 utility:
By using the Gigabyte software concerning RGB, we have obtained the following effects:
The latest Crucial Ballistix kits do tick all the boxes for a mainstream memory kit, now that 32GB versions are beginning to become more affordable. The clever thin and low-profile head-spreader allows bigger CPU heatsinks to be installed, while the top light bar can be configured to match the rest of your setup, since it is compatible with RGB tools from known mainboard manufacturers.
In terms of overclocking, the modules can be clocked higher than the XMP 2.0 profile, but even if the bandwidth is increased during this process, only some applications do seem to benefit from the added benefits.
Regarding customization, Crucial helps with further customization, so we are able to choose from red, black or white heatsink models.
The warranty provided for this kit is a limited 10-year; in terms of pricing, we could find this kit online for about 192 Euros.
We would like to thank again to Crucial for making this review possible!