Go Ballistix Crucial DDR4 Lets Your Skylake System Fly High

Intel’s recently released Skylake platform supports DDR4 memory, finally freeing you from the shackles of outdated DRAM, so why on earth would you settle

for inferior modules? Crucial’s Ballistix Elite DDR4 modules are among the best money can buy.

After months of anticipation, Intel’s 6th Generation Core processors, codenamed “Skylake,” have arrived. Skylake chips represent a new level of desktop performance, which is certainly exciting. But what’s really exciting is that these new processors extend DDR4 support to a much wider audience; no longer is the next generation of DRAM exclusive to Intel’s family of HEDT processors. Although the Skylake platform does support DDR3L, where’s the fun in that? The time has come to ditch DDR3 (which is eight years old at this point, in case you need a reminder) and hitch your wagon to a younger, fresher, and faster memory technology. Because switching from DDR3 to DDR4 can yield impressive performance gains, picking the right kit is not a decision to make lightly. When choosing your new set of sticks, we recommend sticking with memory makers that have a proven track record of putting out highquality products. One company that fits that bill is Crucial. Flying under the company’s Ballistix flag, Crucial’s kits of enthusiast DDR4 are available to all power users, regardless of performance need or budget. The Elite, Tactical, and Sport lines are ready to take Skylake to new heights.

Ballistix Elite: My DDR4 Can Beat Up Your DDR4 
If you demand nothing less than the pinnacle of performance, Crucial’s Ballistix Elite DDR4 is the memory you need (and deserve). Representing the best the company has to offer, Crucial Ballistix Elite DDR4 cruises along at a cool 2,666MTps (mega transfers per second), and you can buy a dual-channel kit in either 8GB or 16GB. (And of course, as long as your motherboard has enough slots, you can always buy a 32GB kit [4 x 8GB] and load up on even more high-speed memory.) This memory is for any power user chasing the next record or higher overclock, but it’s also perfect for gamers running brutally demanding titles or prosumers who rely on gobs of ultra-fast memory to create exceptional content. In addition to its top-notch performance and incredibly cool heat spreaders, Ballistix Elite DDR4 has a secret weapon: Crucial’s M.O.D. utility. Short for Memory Overview Display, the Ballistix M.O.D. app gives you an inside look at your memory’s vital signs, including SPD data and temperature. You can monitor the latter in real time, so extreme overclockers who need to know every component temperature at all times will delight that the Ballistix Elite DDR4 makes their job that much easier.

Ballistix Tactical: Up Your Game 
The next weapon in Crucial’s Ballistix arsenal is the Ballistix Tactical memory. Like the Ballistix Elite, Ballistix Tactical modules are clocked to offer a 2,666MTps data rate, so memory bandwidth should not be a problem. Dual-channel kits of 8GB or 16GB are available, and a massive 32GB kit of four 8GB modules can be yours for the taking, too. Ballistix Tactical memory is ideal for gamers who understand that good DRAM is plenty important for modern games. For anyone who regularly edits their media— whether that’s photos, videos, music, or a combination of all three—Ballistix Tactical DDR4 definitely provides the performance needed to finish jobs faster. PC builders will also dig the Ballistix Tactical’s look. The aluminum alloy heat spreaders have a gunmetal gray finish, making them a sharp-looking addition to any system.

Ballistix Sport & Sport LT: Every Enthusiast Deserves DDR4 
As we mentioned, Skylake opens the doors to DDR4 for virtually everyone. For mainstream Skylake rigs, Crucial’s Ballistix Sport memory is more than up to the task. Operating at 2,400MTps, Ballistix Sport DDR4 memory is also energy-efficient, requiring a mere 1.2 volts to operate. (This is a trait shared with Ballistix Elite and Tactical DDR4, as well.) Whether you go with an 8GB, 16GB, or 32GB kit, Ballistix Sport memory is terrific for everyday PC use; finally, you can get the full multitasking experience of Windows 10. Casual gamers and those addicted to indie games will find that a kit of Ballistix Sport works well. Ballistix Sport and Sport LT modules have slightly different heat spreaders. Ballistix Sport memory has a simple, yet sleek design, consisting primarily of a solid gray color; its heat spreaders don’t extend b e y o n d t h e modules’ PCB, so the memory should be compatible with any desktop hardware configuration. Sport LT heat spreaders peek above the module PCB ever so slightly and feature what Crucial calls a “digital camo” design.

You Have Chosen . . .
Wisely As you consider which components to use for your Skylake build, we have no doubt you’ll be faced with more than a few tough decisions. Crucial gives you plenty of options, as well, but perhaps the best thing about the company’s Ballistix DDR4 kits is that any choice you make is a great one

PNY Anarchy X DDR4 2800

Skylake is finally here (kinda, retail availability was nonexistent as we went to press), and as a result, mainstream users’ interest in DDR4 is likely to rise in the coming months. DDR4 memory prices have also dropped to the point that the speed increase and power decrease compared to DDR3 make the newer specification an obvious choice. Indeed, it’s a great time to buy memory, and PNY is looking to make the most of this impending tidal wave of DDR4 buyers with its new 16GB Anarchy X DDR4-2800 kit. PNY’s kit consists of four 4GB matched modules. Although this setup is ideal for a quad-channel memory rig, it’ll work just fine in a dual-channel Z170- based motherboard. This is one of the more affordable DDR4 kits we’ve tested, but it still manages to support Intel’s XMP 2.0, which makes overclocking the memory to 2,800MTps (megatransfers per second) a simple matter of changing a single setting in the BIOS. By default, the memory will boot at 2,133MTps, but Profile #1 unleashes this kit’s full potential. The Anarchy X kit also supports 2,666MTps and 2,400MTps speeds. At its highest rated speed, this kit still just calls for 1.2V. The timings are also pretty solid, at 16-16-16-36. The heatspreaders on the Anarchy X consist of colored aluminum plates. Two anodized black plates make up a majority of the heatspreader and a central clip, available in anodized blue or red, holds the two halves together. The black plates are adorned with Anarchy X, PNY, and DDR4 logos. The PCB is 3.1mm tall and the heatspreader adds just 1.1mm to the overall profile, making this kit ideal for those planning to use oversized CPU coolers. The memory kit also comes with a lifetime warranty. In SiSoft Sandra 2015 SP2, the integer and floating point memory bandwidth scores were 53.67GBps and 55.13GBps, respectively. We also ran Sandra’s memory latency workload, which measures how long it takes to transfer a block of data from main memory. In this test, the Anarchy X kit scored a very impressive 25.6 nanoseconds. Our low resolution Aliens Vs. Predator run, designed to isolate the CPU and memory performance, yielded a 750.9fps score. That doesn’t mean much on its own, but when we underclocked the memory to 2,133MTps, the score dropped almost 100fps, to 657.7fps. For its affordable price, impressive performance, and sharp aesthetics, PNY’s 16GB Anarchy X DDR4 kit should occupy a top slot on your new parts list.