







Brand | Crucial |
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Series | Ballistix |
Model | BL2K8G32C16U4B |
Capacity | 16GB (2 x 8GB) |
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Speed | DDR4 3200 (PC4 25600) |
Tested Frequency | 3200 MHz DDR4 |
CAS Latency | 16 |
Timing | 16-18-18-36 |
Voltage | 1.35V |
ECC | No |
Buffered/Registered | Unbuffered |
Chipset | Intel XMP 2.0 |
Color | Black |
Heat Spreader | Yes |
Features | Ideal for gamers and performance enthusiasts Engineered for the latest AMD and Intel platforms XMP 2.0 support for automatic overclocking, or run at JEDEC default profile Modern aluminum heat spreader available in three colors to match your system build or style |
Recommend Use | High Performance or Gaming Memory |
Date First Available | January 31, 2020 |
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Pros: First taking it out I like the heat sync they used. The memory is faster than some other memory I was using so swapped it out. It’s not overly bulky and fits well in the DIMM slots. I ran it stock and fired up PassMark Performance Test. It right out of the gate landed on a 2891.5 Memory Mark for 93rd Percentile. Chrome usage after an hour handled just fine with this even while gaming. I didn’t feel like tabs were sluggish while keeping Borderlands 3 loaded. Though with 16GB it is really saturating all of the memory. After a couple days of rock solid usage I overclocked it and hammered 3 Memory Mark tests. I averaged 3092.9 (96th percentile) score on the 3 tests and it’s remained as stable as leaving it standard. The memory is still running perfectly with another 2 days of use. I’ve been gaming in Borderlands 3, Overwatch, Gears 5 mostly and haven’t seen memory be a drag in the least. Good stuff. -Fast out of the box -Simple to overclock -Great speed tests
Overall Review: I would recommend this for well priced fast memory. 16GB is going to get maxed out with a game + web browsing for long durations but is great for gaming memory never hurting my performance.
Pros: + Lifetime Warranty + Clean Simple Black Styling + Works great with AMD Ryzen
Cons: - None
Overall Review: I have long been very pleased with Crucial products. Their ram and SSD's have performed flawlessly for me in the past, so I was excited to take these new Crucial Ballistix for a spin. Turns out I had a good home for them in a new AMD Ryzen build I was doing for my daughter. Paired with a AsRock B450M Steel Legend and a Ryzen 5 2600, the ram has proven to be a great match. Just turn on XMP and BAM, 3200Mhz speeds achieved. Stock timings are decent @ 16-18-18-36. Fully memtest86 stable all night long. I did not overclock them this time around, so no comments there, but I am plenty pleased with the stock performance. Overall the ram is good looking, priced competitively, stable and has Crucial standing behind it, whom offers amazing customer support. Recommended.
Pros: This is the RAM that sticks to the basics without frills. The RAM runs stable at rated speed without any issue.
Cons: None that I can think of
Overall Review: RAMs of same specification these days are pretty much the same regardless of the manufacturers. Some models are try to compete by throwing some LED lights and fancy heat sinks. However, the performance is pretty much the same. If you just want a simple RAM that works, this is the perfect RAM. Preinstalled heat spreaders are simple, but has good looking design. There are some slightly cheaper manufactures that uses even simpler heat spreaders, but they also look very cheap (simple sheet of aluminum) There are 3 different colors available. Red, white, and black. This is also a nice option for trying to build a simple clean looking system.
Pros: Nice and simple packaging. Easy to open and clear instructions if you never have installed ram before. The product feels substantial. You can tell that this isn't cheap stuff. The heat sinks are nice and well built. I think it looks good in my case. There are no RGB lights, but I'd rather have it that way.
Cons: I can't think of any cons. I mean, I guess if you wanted some kind of color option, you'd have to go with a different type of memory.
Overall Review: I have used Crucial memory (and other products that they make) for YEARS and I have never experienced a problem or had an issue with support or warranty. They are a good company that stands behind their products. I've been using this ram for almost one solid month, rendering HD video and also some gaming (mainly playing Rust) and while I haven't really noticed performance gains over the ram that this replaced, everything seems good to me! I would highly recommend their products!
Pros: The simple black, no bells, whistles and no lights, works for me. This RAM looks nice, clean and neat in any build The heat sink works well, since every thing stayed cool. The size kept installation simple.
Cons: There are no cons from my point of view..
Overall Review: My test machine is a ASUS ROG Strix x470F motherboard running a Ryzen 7 2700x OC to 4.15 ghz . Initial boot after installing the Crucial Ballistic sticks showed the speed to be 2666 mhz. Setting it in the bios to the proper 3200mhz put everything in order. Timing showed 16, 18, 18, 36 as it should. Userbenchmark mark rated this at 111% with the average being 94% or 78 percentile of Ram in their database. Passmark results were 2850 . 68 percentile. Performance was better than expected in both cases. It was used heavily for 3 days with no problems at all. This is very good memory for the price I can recommend this memory with no reservations and will probably buy another 16 GB to use in a Photo editing setup.
Pros: • Competitive pricing • Clean, simple looks • No RGB flashiness (for those that care) • Reputable brand • Limited lifetime warranty
Cons: • You can get some RGB sets for the same money
Overall Review: Quality basic RAM kit from Crucial. No flash or bling, and timings tighten up a bit for added performance. Tried a couple of install scenarios. First was in a Ryzen 2600 machine that already has a pair of 8GB Team sticks installed (similar timings). Machine rebooted just fine, with the Ballistix running at their rated timings. Ran a couple of Passmark runs, a handful of Cinebench runs, and then played Destiny 2 for eight hours. Not a hiccup. Second scenario had me pulling the Team sticks and running the Ballistix exclusively. Fired up just fine after reboot. Played around with the timings, and was able to run them at CAS 15, so a little performance bump at stock 3200MHZ speeds – nice. Those settings were stable for a few hours of Destiny 2, and HyperPi runs. Looks are clean, with average height heat spreaders. There are a few RGB kits for the same/less money, but they are newer brands, so who knows about the long-term reliability. I’ve never had an RMA claim with Crucial, but I have friends who have, and they say the experience’s have been fast and efficient. If you’re looking for a clean, bling-free quality RAM kit, these Ballistix sticks will definitely get the job done. Recommended!
Pros: Very stable ram, have been running for about a week now in my machine. There has been no heating issues in a small case with 4 outward fans in the machine. The plain black aluminum heat sinks are nice to see. Not looking to be too flashy when these are in the case. The heat sinks are not large or bulky to stick out past the ram either. Ran this both overclocked and under-clocked, stable at all speeds. The majority of the testing was done at is rated 3200mhz. I would advise against overclocking anything for long periods of time. The limited lifetime warranty insures that if anything is to go wrong from crucial, they'll stand behind the product. These were packaged tight and should not rattle lose and bang around in transport.
Cons: None that were apparent.
Overall Review: I have used several crucial ram kits over the years. One of my favorite brands, very stable and reliable. A go to brand for the money. This ram was tested in both an AMD Ryzen 2700 @ 4.3 all cores and an Intel i5 8th gen build, no issues to report from either. Overall this is a great price for 16 gigs of reliable ram!
Pros: Good no frills memory. Runs as expected at advertised speeds. 16-18-18-36 @ 1.35v. Very stable. Ran though several games and synthetic tests. MemTest86 ran multiples passes over several hours without error. Also ran AIDA64 stability test for memory with no issues. While this is not low profile memory, it sits lower than my other G. Skill RipJaws V memory and allows the one DIMM slot under my cooler to be populated. This is an older Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme that I've used for about 12 years in various systems. I've often only ever used 2 sticks of RAM in most systems, but most RAM is not short enough to fit under many air coolers in the last RAM slot. These indeed would fit, if the fan was temporarily removed.
Cons: None
Overall Review: Machine Specs: --------------- Intel i7-6700K (4.4GHz) Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme CPU cooler Gigabyte Z170X-Ultra Gaming Gigabyte GTX1080 G1 Corsair MP510 240GB NVMe (2) Intel 330 Series 240GB RAID0 2TB WD Blue Antec HCP-750 Platinum PSU Phanteks Enthoo Evolv ATX case