Crucial Ballistix Tracer DDR2-800
Crucial was created by Micron in 1996 as a response to consumers wanting memory upgrades to get the best possible performance from their systems. Currently, they offer over 217,000 upgrades for more than 27,000 desktops, notebooks, servers, printers, routers, and other electronic devices on their website.Crucial's Website & Tools
Crucial has one of the most useful manufacturer websites we've ever come across. As soon as the page has loaded, you're greeted with two options to find the best possible memory upgrades for your system: Selection by Motherboard, or a System Scanner.The Product
Product Number: BL2KIT12864AL804 Timings: 4-4-4-12 Extra Features: SLI-Ready My 2GB of Ballistix came in Crucial's standard packagine: a small box inside a bigger box for protection. Slice the seal on the smaller box and you're in for a treat when you spot your new RAM.Installation
Installation was simple, as is any RAM installation. I opened up the clips and removed the old ram, and then replaced it with the two sticks of Ballistix Tracer. Make sure you've got an anti-static wristband on so you're grounded, and that the powersupply is off. It's always to good idea to take both of these precautions when installing anything in your PC to avoid breaking or damaging components before you're able to use them. Make sure they're firmly in place, then boot your PC back up! It's interesting to watch the RAM while your PC boots, as you can see when the RAM actually comes online via the LEDs on top.Watch the lights!
The fun part of the RAM is watching the LEDs! There are 2 rows of 8 LEDs on the top of the RAM. These LEDs circulate in random patterns based on RAM usage. The colors vary from green to red depending on usage. Additionally, there are there are 8 more blue LEDs at the base of the RAM that are constantly lit, giving off a nice illuminating effect against your motherboard.System 1 | System 2 | |
Case | Thermaltake Soprano DX (Provided by Thermaltake) | |
Processor | AMD Athlon X2 3600+ | |
Motherboard | ECS GeForce6100SM-M | |
RAM | 1GB Super Talent CL5 DDR2-800 | 2GB Crucial Ballistix Tracer DDR2-800 |
Graphics | ATi Radeon X600 SE | |
Hard Drive | Maxtor 100GB SATA |
Benchmarking
We've chosen not to attempt overclocking the Crucial Ballistix. While we are an enthusiast website, we're looking to see the stock value of the hardware (that, and our motherboard isn't the most overclockable motherboard). First, we'll be looking at Sandra's memory bechmarks. You can find out more about Sandra here. Note that these are theoretical benchmarks and don't say as much for real-word performance. That's what gaming is for.Sandra | System 1 | System 2 (Ballistix) |
RAM Bandwith Integer Performance (higher is better) | 4746MB/s | 5387MB/s |
RAM Bandwidth Float Performance (higher is better) | 4753MB/s | 5349MB/s |
Random Memory Access (lower is better) | 91 ns | 96 ns |
Memory Access Speed Factor (lower is better) | 58 | 58.6 |
Cache and Memory Speed Factor (lower is better) | 11.9 | 9.5 |
Cache and Memory Combined Index (higher is better) | 8128MB/s | 9014MB/s |
Gaming Performance | System 1 | System 2 (Ballistix) |
Counter-Strike Average FPS (higher is better) | 32.04 Avg FPS | 38.05 Avg FPS |
UT2004 Botmatch Lowest FPS(Default Settings, higher is better) | 26.7 | 26.7 |
UT2004 Botmatch Average FPS(Default Settings, higher is better) | 86.00 | 89.1 |
UT2004 Botmatch Highest FPS(Default Settings, higher is better) | 262.6 | 281.8 |
3dMark05 | 1244 | 1280 |
- - LEDs that monitor activity
- - LEDs that are constantly lit and illuminate the motherboard
- Great timings and latency at 4-4-4-12
- Heatspreaders to reduce head
- Superior Gaming Performance
- None!
Rating
10/10