We are always impressed with Crucial
memory packaging. The modules come shipped in
a sturdy cardboard box and inside each stick is
individually wrapped in an anti-static bag and
separated by cardboard inserts. When ordering
in the UK next day delivery is only a few pounds
and to date Crucial have never failed us. US next
day delivery (direct from Crucial) is similarly
inexpensive weighing in at under $12.
Shown
above are the Ballistix Tracer modules and they
are amongst the coolest looking memory sticks
we have seen. The black with silver trim looks
great combined with the black PCB and really gives
a feeling of quality to the product. The heatsinks
are aluminium which results in a light spreader.
The only negative aspect is the lack of product
specification; there are a few stickers which
give model names and serial numbers however it
would be incredibly useful to have a section on
there for rated speed, timings and voltages. With
some research we discover Crucial recommend 2.2v.
5-5-5-15 (1000mhz)
Once
the modules were installed we loaded CPUz to take
a look at the SPD timings. It was good to see
right out of the box the timings are correct and
if the motherboard is set to boot with memory
at 1000 MHz the recommended 5-5-5-15 timings will
be used. For those who don’t have as configurable
a board the 4-4-4-12 800Mhz settings will be used,
timings which match most enthusiast DDR2-800.
As you can see from the CPUz screenshot these
sticks are EPP enabled allowing easy configuration
of the modules in motherboards which also support
this technology.
As
we mentioned in the intro to this article each
of these products on test today have their own
unique selling point and in Crucial’s case
the one outstanding feature is the LED's. Along
the spine of the sticks there are a number of
these which light up in various patterns when
the system is active. Additionally there are a
number of blue LED’s along the base of the
heatsinks which spread light across the motherboard.
For those with case windows building a cool looking
system these could add that bit of extra pizzazz.
Here's a quick video of the Tracers in action...
TechHeaven design based on BlackTeal
adapted by craig5320 & Zardon. Additional artwork/DH logo by Zardon.
Review coding Zardon.
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