Crucial Ballistix Elite DDR4-2666 16GB Memory Kit Review

Final Thoughts
Crucial’s Ballistix Series of memory has been around for quite a while now and the line top to bottom has something for everyone. The Sport kits are made for mainstream users, the Tactical are for gamers and power users and the Elite kits are the top of the line made for hardcore enthusiasts and overclockers. The Elite kit is made to be Crucial’s flagship DDR4 product and the top of the line kit and it really does show.

First lets talk about design. Crucial went ahead and completely redesigned the heatspeader on the DDR4 kit. They have cut down the size so there are less compatibility issues with larger air coolers, but don’t worry the heatspeaders are very heavy-duty and each module holds quite a lot of weight so you know your memory is going to stay nice and cool. Crucial has gone with an all black heatspeader that has logos not only on the side but on the top as well. They have matched the black heatspreader with a black PCB and I have to say this kit looks great!

Moving on to performance as I mentioned this kit runs at 2666 MHz with timings of 16-17-17-36 at 1.2V. At the stock speeds this kit performs at the top of the DDR4 memory we have tested and is only narrowly beaten out by another kit. When it comes to overclocking I was extremely impressed. The kit made the jump up to 3200 MHz with no problems at all and I only had to bump up the voltage to 1.35V. Unfortunately the test motherboard only supports memory up to 3200 MHz so we were sort of stalled there. But a 534 MHz overclock is quite good for the DDR4 platform and this is the only kit that we have tested that has been able to get to 3200 MHz!

Crucial’s Ballistix Elite Memory will be available for purchase on February 1st, but it looks like you can pre-order this kit right now for $379.99. Like all of their memory Crucial backs this kit with a lifetime warranty. Overall ThinkComputers gives the Crucial Ballistix Elite DDR4-2666 16GB Memory Kit a 10 out of 10 score and our Recommended Award!

rating10 10 small TC award recommended small

Pros:
– Great performance
– Lots of overclocking headroom
– Lower-profile heatspreaders
– Sleek design
– Lifetime warranty

Cons:
– None that I found

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