Greeting all,

Had a chance to loan a set of 8GB kit Crucial Ballistix Tactical DDR3 1866 CL9 (9-9-9) 1.5v from a bro for a quick ride. It's been a while since I last tested a pair of micron DDR3, last I remember was 4GB kit Geil Value DDR3 1600 CL8 which running on D9KPT or D9KPV (if I'm not mistaken). Decent kit but need slightly high volt for 1700~1800ish @ CL7 if my memory serve me right. Because of this I didn't really put high hope on the this kit since 8GB kit will always be inferior to 4GB kit in term of overclockability. OK, let's cut the formality & go straight to the point.

Before I start with the results, lemme share the detail of the testbed. Details as follow:

AMD FX8120
Asus Crosshair V Formula (BIOS 1003)
2 x 4GB Crucial Ballistix Tactical DDR3 1866 CL9 (1.5v)
Seasonic X850

And the ram looks exactly like this:

Ram in the box


Ram outside the box, quite a looker if you ask


Rated frequency, timing & voltage


Perfect arrangement for the chips to "breath"


X-tion!!!


My apology as I'm not able to test it on both Intel & AMD platform. I have no access to any Intel setup, even if I have I won't be able to churn out any result as I'm a certified Intel idiot. Generally, I believe Intel is more forgiving on ram oc, so if the ram can do good on AMD platform, I'd expect better results (with lower volts too) on AMD's counterpart. Pls correct me if I'm wrong.

1st attempt: DDR3 1333 @ 6-6-6 w/ 1.49v

*tight timing @ very low frequency, good for HTPC setup as vdimm is still low enough in my book.


2nd attempt: DDR3 1600 @ 7-7-7 w/ 1.48v

*rather tight timing for low frequency, good for normal setup with lite oc on CPU clock. Voltage is pretty low too.


3rd attempt: DDR3 1866 @ 8-8-8 w/ 1.52v

*stock frequency (DDR3 1866) with timing tightened a 'lil. It's a shame that voltage can't be maintained @ stock volt (1.5v) but 1.52v is not too bad eh?


4th attempt: DDR3 2000 @ 8-8-8 w/ 1.64v

*I'd say DDR3 2000 @ 8-8-8 is very2 decent. From what i remember, even 4GB kits of mid range & some high end range (except those on Elpida Hyper) can't maintain tRCD 8 (or lower) at DDR3 2000. Voltage wise, though is 'lil bit on high side but still healthy for 24/7, to me at least.


5th attempt: DDR3 2133 @ 9-9-9 w/ 1.63v

*Nothing to shout about since it's not a big jump from stock frequency & timing, but for a mid range 8GB kit to able to do DDR3 2133 @ 9-9-9 & still able to keep voltage within safety range (1.65v), I'd say job pretty well done by Crucial!

This post has been edited by ah_khoo: Mar 4 2012, 10:53 PM

2 quickie results, returnin d ram tomorrow so there will be no more results after this...

6th attempt: DDR3 1600 @ 6-7-6 w/ 1.69v



7th attempt: DDR3 1866 @ 7-8-7 w/ 1.70v


This post has been edited by ah_khoo: Jan 13 2012, 12:53 AM

Final thoughts:

Crucial is no new boy in enthusiast ram industry, from what i know, it made its mark since the famous crucial 10th anniversary in DDR2. I was lucky enough to had d chance to test 'em & there's nothing but praise I can give. Decently priced, superb overclockabilty & not forgetting got the look.

I'm glad to see the legacy continued on DDR3, particularly on this pair of Ballistix Tactical DDR3 1866. For a pair of mid range kit, the pair managed to offer decent mileage, superb timing (for a pair of 8GB kit), flexibility for low to high frequency. Not forgettin the voltage required (non quickie setup) is good enough considerin the timing it can offer. if I were to rate the ram, I'd give 10/10, but to each his own so I'll leave it to its users to judge.

Last but not least, I'd like to thank the bro who loaned me the ram not only for the chance to test it, but the trust he had in me (considerin I'm just a stranger to him). I do hope u guys enjoyed reading this quick review & find it useful. thank you for ya time...

a quick wrap up:

- Decently priced (pls check Crucial official webby for price)
- Good looking & effective (in dissipatin heat) heatspreader
- Great flexibility (timing vs frequency vs volt)


This post has been edited by ah_khoo: Jan 13 2012, 12:09 AM

Hi,

This results just for crucial only?
What is the best ratio for FSB:DRAM--->1:4, 3:8, 1:2 or 1:1?
Can you gimme some guides how to oc ram...thx

hi mate, what determine d mileage of ram usually depend on what chipset used on that particular module. so we can't really generalize until we put 'em to tests.

there's no best dram ratio, u gotta try it out yaself & see what suit ya ram the most. Generally, higher divider better for high frequency (but timing need to be loosened) while lower divider give u better timing but lower frequency. u can google around d pros & cons regardin lower freq + tight timing vs high frequency + loose timing.

as for guides, u can ask around in AMD OC thread, there's lotsa sifu there who are willin to guide u provided u do ya part.

Naise work bro, with looser timings maybe could clock it higher even more, a great mini review there

hi again,

Thx for great explanation...now I got new idea how it works and perhaps can oc ram soon...btw which one do u recommend...tighter timing or faster ram speed for amd?

yeah, crucial is revived here.
previously gskill rules.

thx bro, sadly i didn't have much time to push for higher freq (mebe this will fare better under gurus' hands).

depends on ya preference, usually tight timing needs higher volt, so does frequency when u start clockin 'em @ > 2000MHz. How well u balance ya oc'ed setup (cpu clock (htt/ram divider), nb freq) will determine what kinda setup u need for ya ram.

revived yes, but to rule, gskill still got decents sticks that can clock pretty well or better, d concern is, d price.

Simple and good review, easy for me & others to understand. Its a Must Have item in the 2012 wishing list.

This post has been edited by verdict: Mar 22 2012, 05:26 PM

bumping old tered. manage to peel off the HS, thanks to kuntawakaw for helping me. hehe
Micron D9PFJ under the heatspread, perfom well in this stick but not in Apacer Giant II



more sticks that used this same chip can be found HERE

This post has been edited by lengchai86: Nov 14 2012, 01:05 AM

thx for sharing d info bro, appreciate d efforts.

have the same sticks of ram. managed to get them to do DDR-2100 @ 1.6v 9-9-9-1T. But i used memtest86 to test instead of your suite.

Does yours pass memtest?

crucial have some low profile ram:
Crucial Introduces Ballistix Low Profile Memory Modules. Crucial Releases Low-Profile DDR3 Memory Modules

i prefer prime blend test over memtest86 in windows. if dos based, memtest is d best but in windows, it's different story. this is just my way of defining stability, others have their own.

hai everyone..

i just bought a new ram which is Kingston Hyper Genesis 1866Mhz RAM...
im using
asus m4n68t-m v2 mobo
amd phenom 965 3.4mhz..
can some one help me to setting my mobo so i can run change 1333mhz to 1866mhz
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