Crucial Ballistix Tracer RED 4GB DDR2-800

Product: Crucial Ballistix Tracer RED 4GB DDR2-800 Kit
Provided By: Crucial
Price: Currently n/a in North America 

Introduction:

It's not everyday that a memory company comes out with a product that you look at and just want to have.  Back at CES 2008 we saw the Crucial Ballistix Tracer RED 4GB kit and wanted it.  Our covetous nature was not inspired solely by the red LEDs, nor was it spurned on merely by the 4GB DDR2 kit.  What really made me want to take a look at this memory was the fact that it isn't yet available in North America.  We're one of the few sites to grab some of this high-density memory and take it for a spin.  While it bears a PC2-6400 branding, we plugged it into a system and managed to squeeze out some outrageous overclocks on a 4GB DDR2-800 kit.  Interested?  It gets better.

 
Pair Of Sticks

First Look at the RED:

Just like every other Crucial product we have ordered, the memory comes in a UPS envelope and inside the envelope is a brown box, sealed by a "Crucial" sticker.  Inside the box came two modules that are individually packaged and are not a paired set like many other companies sell.  When questioned about this our Crucial rep stated that the memory is so similar that any two of their stick made in the same batch are considered a matched set.  I've never had any issues with two modules playing nice with each other so I guess it works.

In Their Package

Lead Free Sticks

Like many other memory companies, Crucial has turned environmentally friendly an no longer uses LED in their memory sticks.  Instead they use tin which has a much higher melting point and is much friendlier to the environment.  As a side benefit, when your little kids start chewing on your RAM you don't have to worry about them ingesting lead.  It could happen.

Ballistix Features and Specifications:

To find out a little bit more about this memory, we'll copy and paste some information regarding the Ballistix Tracer memory from Crucial's site:

What is Ballistix Tracer memory? Ballistix Tracer memory is specifically built for performance enthusiasts and case modders who want to push the performance envelope while adding flash appeal to their boxes. The Ballistix line of high-performance memory modules features advanced speed grades, low latencies, and integrated aluminum heat spreaders. Ballistix Tracer memory features a black red PCB, black red integrated heat spreaders, and one or two rows of eight "chasing" red and green LEDs atop the module, circulating in a random pattern based on memory utilization. A custom-designed circuit relays bus activity to the LEDs, allowing them to accurately reflect usage of each memory module. In addition, eight black red ground effects LEDs emit a constant glow near the pins.

• Module Size: 4GB kit (2GBx2)
• Package: Ballistix Tracer 240-pin DIMM (with LEDs)
• Feature: DDR2 PC2-6400
• Specs: DDR2 PC2-6400 • 4-4-4-12 • Unbuffered • NON-ECC • DDR2-800 • 2.2V • 256Meg x 64

Ground Effect LEDs

Heat Spreader & LEDs

On the next page we'll plug in this memory and put it up against some competition to see if it's more than just flashy red RAM.