Crucial Ballistix Tracer DDR PC2-5300

     Last September we had the opportunity to review Crucial’s first entry into the Performance RAM market with their impressive Ballistix DDR2 PC2-5300.  Now Crucial is kicking it up a notch with their new Ballistix Tracer line.  Let’s take a look at what’s new!

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     Gone is the shiny gold exterior found on the regular Ballistix line.  Crucial has replaced it with a more subtle black and chrome finish.  The new color may make the RAM a bit less eye catching sitting on the counter, but it is more than made up by the killer light show the new LED banks produce in your case.   But first let’s get to the specs.

Specifications:

• Module Size: 1GB

• Package: Ballistix Tracer 240-pin DIMM (w\LEDs)

• Feature: DDR2 PC2-5300

• Configuration: 128Meg x 64

• DIMM Type: UNBUFFERED

• Error Checking: NON-ECC

• Speed: DDR2-667

• Voltage: 1.9V

• Memory Timings: 4-4-4-10

The Test System:

• P4 3.0 GHz Socket 775
• Foxconn 925XE&AA-8EKRS2 
• XG Vortec 500 Power Supply
• 1x 74 GB Western Digital Raptor 10,000RPM SATA
• NEC 16x dual Layer DVD ND-3500A
• BFG GeForce 6600 GT OC PCI-E 
• Superflower SF201-T Black on black 3 windowed case

     Having already put the Ballistix DDR2-667 through the paces in September gave us a good opportunity to see if we could push the system just a little bit further.  Using the Foxconn BIOS settings to overclock the system, I captured benchmarks using SiSoft Sandra.  To show performance in a gaming environment, I captured benchmarks using Doom 3’s Time Demo 1.

Attempt 1 with Foxconn’s internal system set to OC Level 1 sets a practical baseline for further pushing the RAM

Attempt 2

Now we are getting somewhere!  Stable and Fast!

     This is the fastest stable clock I could get using the Foxconn BIOS.  September’s record is shattered, and we see the Ballistix line can handle everything this motherboard can throw at it!