Verdict and Conclusion
At first, I originally thought that Crucial’s Ballistix Tracer series were nothing but a gimmick. Flashing LEDs on memory modules may be great for aesthetics, and probably ideal for modders and the extreme enthusiasts … but what performance?
Well, to my astonishment these modules produced some surprisingly good results during our tests. I guess the support for XMP from both the motherboard and memory modules actually helped.
In fact, these modules produced better results than our other test system which consisted of an Intel Core i7 – 920 (LGA 1366) and a X58 motherboard. Mind you, the Core i7 was running at 2.67Ghz with non-XMP tri-channel ram.
So now you can see why XMP is so important when it comes to memory performance. If you have memory that supports XMP, along with a XMP compatible motherboard … you should always enable this option in the BIOS. It basically allows AUTO selection of best memory/CPU frequency settings without having to tweak the BIOS manually. This means that the memory can run at the specified speed of DDR3-1600 (1600Mhz), while your CPU’s BLK frequency remains at the specified speed of 133Mhz. This of course all depends on which CPU, motherboard and memory you have.
Searching through our Pricegrabber partner page … the average cost for these modules is around USD $159.99, which I think is attractively priced. So any remarks or complaints? … None. If there is anything, then maybe a better designed heatspeader.
Final words. If you’re an enthusiast or an extreme modder, then these Crucial Ballistix Tracer memory modules are right up your alley. Supporting XMP, they offer excellent performance when matched with a XMP compatible motherboard. All-in-all, good price, excellent peformance and they look great inside any computer chassis.
SCORE
9/10
