The Crucial brand name has been synonymous with reliable system memory for more than a decade. Where they once focused solely on memory modules designed strictly to JEDEC standards, the company's product line expanded greatly just a few years ago. In addition to USB flash drives, various flash memory cards, and a few video cards, Crucial also launched a line of enthusiast grade memory modules, the Ballistix series.

Just a few years ago it may have been hard to imagine Crucial offering anything outside of the JEDEC standards, but they proved themselves quickly by applying the same high quality to this new line of high speed, high performance memory. The Ballistix line has spanned DDR, DDR2, and now DDR3; where the sole offering is definitely an impressive one! Available as single 1GB modules or as 2GB dual channel kits, Crucial jumped straight to 1600MHz for their first Ballistix DDR3 offering.


The dual channel kit provided for review is Crucial part number BL2KIT12864BA1608, which features two 1GB modules rated for a speed of 1600MHz, timings of 8-8-8-20, and 1.8V. Before taking a closer look at the Ballistix 2GB PC3-12800 DDR3 Dual Channel Memory Kit provided for review, let's look at the rest of the published data taken from the Crucial website...

Features and Specifications:

» Part Number: BL2KIT12864BA1608
» Speed: PC3-12800, 1600MHz DDR3
» Capacity: 2GB (1GB x 2)
» Package: Ballistix 240-pin DIMM
» Timings: 8-8-8-20
» Voltage: 1.8V
» Other Items: Unbuffered, NON-ECC, 128Meg x 64

Packaging:

The Crucial packaging is always rather bland, which is fine since their products are generally sold directly from their website or from a variety of online outlets. The small cardboard box has dividers inside to keep several modules separated, and the only other item included is a generic manual to guide the installation process.


The image below shows that the modules are sealed in separate anti-static bags printed with a few bar codes, as well as some product information.