Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB Kit 4x 4GB DDR4-2400 Review

Crucial Ballistix Sport DDR4-2400/PC4-19200 16GB (4x 4GB) Memory Review

Today, here at OCinside.de we test another 16 GB DDR4 quad channel Kit or rather two 8 GB DDR4 kits consisting of two 4 GB DDR4 modules. The Crucial Ballistix Sports 4 GB DDR4-2400 CL16 memory modules are equipped with heat spreaders and also have XMP profiles. Let us see how well the DDR4 modules can perform and how high this kit can be overclocked stable with or without voltage boost.

Thanks for the support …

Many thanks for the support with the four 4GB DDR4-2400 modules by the manufacturer Crucial.

We have tested 2x Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB Kits (2x BLS2C4G4D240FSA) with each 2x 4GB modules 288-pin DIMM DDR4-2400. Altogether this is a 16GB DDR4-2400 Quad Channel Kit (4x BLS4G4D240FSA or 1x BLS4C4G4D240FSA), it has at review date a price of approx. 2x 110 Euro, so it costs altogether approx. 220 Euro (11/2014).

Here you can buy the Crucial DDR4 DIMM *Ad

The supply of the four 4096MB PC4-19200 memory modules …

Crucial delivers the memory modules in an exemplary blister packaging which can be closed easily again.

The plastic packaging can be opened easily by pressing the back backwards, to break the two break points and fold up the cover.

Here you can see the great packaging of the crucial memory modules:

That is contained …

If you open the cardboard on the back of the blister packaging, a short installation comes to the fore, together with the note on the Crucial Web page for detailed installation instructions and warranty information.

Here you can see the front side of the 4x 4 GB DDR4 memory modules:

Here is a view from above on the memory modules, where you can see that the heat spreaders have been carefully and evenly affixed to the chips and that the 4 GB Crucial Ballistix Sport chips in contrast to the Crucial Ballistix Sport 8 GB DDR4 modules are fitted on one side:

DDR4 vs DDR3 …

DDR4 offers speeds of 2133 to 4266 MT/s, DDR3 provides, only 800 to 2133 MT/s. So, DDR4 achieved with DDR4-2400 a bandwidth of 17 GB/s in contrast to DDR3-800 with 6.4 GB/s. And last but not least DDR4 modules have a higher capacity of up to 16 GB per DDR4 module and that with only low 1.20 Volt (1.05V – 1.35V) DDR4 memory voltage instead of 1.50V (1.35V – 1.65V) for DDR3 modules. Of course, that does not mean that all is gold that glitters, because like often, many other factors such as for example the latency is also very important.

If the extra charge is a worthwhile investment, is now there, but the development continues and new platforms such as e.g. the Haswell-E processors requires DDR4 modules.

By the way, not only the number of pins, which have risen from 240-pin (DDR3) to 288-pin (DDR4), but also the DDR4 module design is new, because the bottom of the modules is no longer plane, but slightly flattened on both sides. In addition also the (voltage-) notch is on another position, to avoid that one is accidentally installing DDR4 modules in a DDR3 socket or DDR3 modules in a DDR4 slot. DDR3 and DDR4 memory is not pin compatible.

Here you can see the difference between a DDR4 module (top) and DDR3 module (bottom):

We have a total of four Crucial Ballistix Sport DDR4 memory modules installed in Quad Channel mode. Here you can see two DDR4 modules in the foreground and in the background the other two DDR4 modules installed on our LGA2011-3 test board:

All modules have been recognized in the UEFI as DDR4-2400 modules working properly in Quad-Channel mode, wherby the module name in the UEFI Setup is displayed as CRUCIL instead of CRUCIAL: