Crucial Ballistix?

WaltS_2 · May 8, 2005

Have anyone tried Crucial Ballistix lately?

I have gone back to my IC7 and it boots at 250fsb unlike my AI7. I know the old Ballistix booted at 2.5-2-2-5 easily. I can get some very cheap and wonder it I could get the same results with it. I have heard the new stuff wasn't like the old and I was wondering what you all said.

Reefa_Madness · May 8, 2005

There's bound to be someone around here that can help, although I haven't seen too many posts from guys having purchased Ballistix since its release. Are you interested in the PC3200 or the PC4000?

I'm curious as to what you're hearing about the new stuff not being like the old (not hitting the same fsb/not working at the same timings/not liking the memory ratios/not responding to voltage?).

Anandtech has always liked it and I know of one guy, Clevor, that has gotten good samples, but again, these were acquired when it first came out. There was a time when the rated timings were changed at their website from 2-2-2-5 to 2-3-2-5 (or maybe 2-2-2-6), if I remember correctly, but I was under the impression that they had now returned to 2-2-2-5 for the PC3200. I really haven't gone and looked to check whether that is correct or not.

WaltS_2 · May 8, 2005

I don't remember exactly where I heard where the new stuff doesn't work like the old stuff but I think it was at XS and the number of people here who bought them after they first came out. I do know of Clevor's results and that is one reason that I wanted to try it.

I just remember after Anandtech released their results quite a few people went and bought the ballistix and no one really got the same results and they said that Anandtech got cherry picked modules. Others said the first batch were really good but the newer stuff isn't as good. But several people have posted very good results so I am wondering about them again.

Also I am not really sure which one I want(3200 or 4000) they are the same price but I heard someone say the 4000 had different chips on them. Hynix or something. It was in a "review" however I don't think the guy ever removed the heatspreaders so I don't really know.

And the listed timings are at 2-2-2-6 now for the 3200.

PS I think I caught your RAM disease. I have bought 20 stick of ram since september and apparently it isn't going to stop. And the worst part is I can't bring myself to sell any of it.

GML3G0 · May 8, 2005

WaltS_2 said:
IAnd the worst part is I can't bring myself to sell any of it.

I'll take some if you don't want them.

I can get mine to 250MHz at 2.5-3-3-7. Bought them around February or March.

CCUABIDExORxDIE · May 8, 2005

all crucial rams are made using micron chips, so crucial = micron, in a sense. they only use micron chips and afaik, they use the mircron 5b-g's instead of the 5b-c's like their value stuff does. and someone got a stick of their value 5b-c's to like ddr500 with 2.5-2-2-10. this is the cas 3 stuff too. and i recall ozzimark from XS getting 1.5-2-2-5 at like ddr460 maybe.

Reefa_Madness · May 8, 2005

WaltS_2 said:
I don't remember exactly where I heard where the new stuff doesn't work like the old stuff but I think it was at XS and the number of people here who bought them after they first came out. I do know of Clevor's results and that is one reason that I wanted to try it.

I just remember after Anandtech released their results quite a few people went and bought the ballistix and no one really got the same results and they said that Anandtech got cherry picked modules. Others said the first batch were really good but the newer stuff isn't as good. But several people have posted very good results so I am wondering about them again.

Also I am not really sure which one I want(3200 or 4000) they are the same price but I heard someone say the 4000 had different chips on them. Hynix or something. It was in a "review" however I don't think the guy ever removed the heatspreaders so I don't really know.

And the listed timings are at 2-2-2-6 now for the 3200.

PS I think I caught your RAM disease. I have bought 20 stick of ram since september and apparently it isn't going to stop. And the worst part is I can't bring myself to sell any of it.

Consider yourself lucky, as you only have a mild case which might possibly be curable...although that inability to part with any of it is not a good sign...

I can't seem to part with any of mine either.

Reefa_Madness · May 8, 2005

CCUABIDExORxDIE said:
all crucial rams are made using micron chips, so crucial = micron, in a sense. they only use micron chips and afaik, they use the mircron 5b-g's instead of the 5b-c's like their value stuff does. and someone got a stick of their value 5b-c's to like ddr500 with 2.5-2-2-10. this is the cas 3 stuff too. and i recall ozzimark from XS getting 1.5-2-2-5 at like ddr460 maybe.

Crucial (non Ballistix) doesn't always = Micron.

I actually have seen at my local CC some Crucial packaged ram with Infineon chips. That just blew my mind as it is like a GM car with a Ford engine.

I think it is safe to say, however, that all Crucial Ballistix is made with Micron chips ("G" revision).

CCUABIDExORxDIE · May 8, 2005

yea, well mostly all crucial rams use micron chips. the majority do, not all but most all do it. all crucial ballistix uses micron g's. seeing crucial ram with infineon chips is kinda weird...i really should tell my uncle that, cause hes been doing the whole enthusist thing for like 20+ years, and he told me crucial ram always has micron chips.

CCUABIDExORxDIE · May 8, 2005

http://www.crucial.com/library/why_crucial.asp look down at the second bold line, about quality. it says crucial is part of micron. if you really saw crucial with infineon chips, then somethings wrong unless infineon is owned by micron as well.

CCUABIDExORxDIE · May 8, 2005

yea, i think thats because micron useda build computers and now they are back into the ic making business, so from now on, all crucial rams will be micron.

Reefa_Madness · May 8, 2005

Crucial is the retail arm of Micron, whether it is a subsidiary or a division I can't recall. That said, the use of other than Micron chips in Crucial ram, while appearing weird, is probably nothing but good business practice. If for some reason, Micron has reallocated their manufacturing to another product and at the same time Crucial is running low on ICs it wouldn't make any sense for them to stop producing if the demand was there. They go out and buy Samsung or Infineon chips and produce their parts.

After all, Micron sells to others, such as Buffalo Tech. The Firestix (catch the similarity in name to Ballistix?) PC3500 from Buffalo Tech use the same Micron "G" die that Ballistix uses.

CCUABIDExORxDIE · May 8, 2005

crucial is a division. and yea, i guess it does make sense now. it just seemed kinda iffy tha a division of an IC making company would use something other then that brands ic's like you said its like a gmc with a ford engine.

Clevor · May 8, 2005

Speaking of the Devil, I just flogged my set of Ballistix PC4000 on the DFI NF4 board - really uncharted territory here. It runs best using TwinMOS SP settings.

Actually the latest PC4000 stuff really rocks on the P4 setup. I have run 250, 2.5-2-2-5 with PC3200 Ballistix on the IC7-G. This is 2x512 in DC at only 2.8 VDIMM, of course. Most of the later PC4000 stuff will do 248 or so.

I always tell it like it I see it - no matter what ram or brand - and Ballistix runs strange on the DFI Ultra-D board. Sometimes the board won't post, particularly with other than the 200 divider. I tried lowering the LDT, playing with the BIOS tweaks, LDT voltage, VChip - I haven't found the answer yet.

I have been able to run 251x11, 2.5-2-2-5 but needed 3.1 VDIMM. Not unexpectedly, unbuffered, Aquamark, and 3DMark scores are excellent: only a tad shy of 251x11, 2-2-2- with BH-5/UTT. I wanted to check scores with the 166 divider since marks go up, but can't get the ram to run here. Also can't post above 260 at 2.5-2-3-5.

In any case, the Ballistix stuff is solid if you're doing Pentium4s. If you go A64 with the DFI board, stick to 200 divider and get an 11x multi

.

WaltS_2 · May 8, 2005

Clevor said:
Speaking of the Devil, I just flogged my set of Ballistix PC4000 on the DFI NF4 board - really uncharted territory here. It runs best using TwinMOS SP settings.

Actually the latest PC4000 stuff really rocks on the P4 setup. I have run 250, 2.5-2-2-5 with PC3200 Ballistix on the IC7-G. This is 2x512 in DC at only 2.8 VDIMM, of course. Most of the later PC4000 stuff will do 248 or so.

I always tell it like it I see it - no matter what ram or brand - and Ballistix runs strange on the DFI Ultra-D board. Sometimes the board won't post, particularly with other than the 200 divider. I tried lowering the LDT, playing with the BIOS tweaks, LDT voltage, VChip - I haven't found the answer yet.

I have been able to run 251x11, 2.5-2-2-5 but needed 3.1 VDIMM. Not unexpectedly, unbuffered, Aquamark, and 3DMark scores are excellent: only a tad shy of 251x11, 2-2-2- with BH-5/UTT. I wanted to check scores with the 166 divider since marks go up, but can't get the ram to run here. Also can't post above 260 at 2.5-2-3-5.

In any case, the Ballistix stuff is solid if you're doing Pentium4s. If you go A64 with the DFI board, stick to 200 divider and get an 11x multi .

Thanks for the reply.

So you think I should go for the pc4000 on a Pentium4. I can get either 3200 or 4000 for pretty cheap.

Also should the pc4000 run 2-2-2-6 at 200mhz? I know that it won't be guarenteed but do they usually? I have seen some higher rated tccd that will run at higher speeds but not tight timings at low speed is why I am wondering.

WaltS_2 · May 8, 2005

Reefa_Madness said:
Consider yourself lucky, as you only have a mild case which might possibly be curable...although that inability to part with any of it is not a good sign...

I can't seem to part with any of mine either.

But I have 4 gigs of bh-5 and some bh-6 ( I kept buying it utill I had a set that did 250mhz at 3.1v but they are 256 sticks and I need a gig)some ocz 3700EB and a total of 30 sticks of ram and I only have 2 computers. But last week I did manage to part with a 2x256 set of bh-5 so I hope I can bring myself to part with the rest and buy a really good computer funded by only by selling ram

. But I don't see that happening when I keep buying more.

Clevor · May 8, 2005

WaltS_2 said:
Thanks for the reply.

So you think I should go for the pc4000 on a Pentium4. I can get either 3200 or 4000 for pretty cheap.

Also should the pc4000 run 2-2-2-6 at 200mhz? I know that it won't be guarenteed but do they usually? I have seen some higher rated tccd that will run at higher speeds but not tight timings at low speed is why I am wondering.

The PC4000 have better headroom. The set I have did 263, 2.5-2-3-5 and 272, 2.5-3-3-5 on an AI7. They still do 248, 2.5-2-2-5.

Yes, all the Ballistix I've seen do 2-2-2-5 to about 222-225 or so. Most people don't realize they do higher up here than TCCD, which max at 214 or so. But 225 fsb isn't much use except maybe for the NF2 platform.

WaltS_2 · May 8, 2005

Thank you very much for the information Clevor.

The 2-2-2-5 was just so I could run on a divider if I had to.

I guess I am going to try out the pc4000.

Clevor · May 9, 2005

WaltS_2 said:
Thank you very much for the information Clevor.

The 2-2-2-5 was just so I could run on a divider if I had to.

I guess I am going to try out the pc4000.

On boards like the IS7, AI7, and P4C800, Ballistix will run 5:4 up to 300 fsb, at 2.5-2-2-5. You may need more than 2.8 VDIMM up near 300. The IC7 doesn't run ram well, and I don't think you will do that high.

Reefa_Madness · May 9, 2005

WaltS_2 said:
But I have 4 gigs of bh-5 and some bh-6 ( I kept buying it utill I had a set that did 250mhz at 3.1v but they are 256 sticks and I need a gig)some ocz 3700EB and a total of 30 sticks of ram and I only have 2 computers. But last week I did manage to part with a 2x256 set of bh-5 so I hope I can bring myself to part with the rest and buy a really good computer funded by only by selling ram . But I don't see that happening when I keep buying more.

First...Clevor...I see you found this thread. You just sniff out anything to do with Ballistix don't you?

WaltS_2 ...still consider yourself as having a mild case...be grateful.

Clevor · May 9, 2005

Reefa_Madness said:
First...Clevor...I see you found this thread. You just sniff out anything to do with Ballistix don't you?

Seems I am the only guy with luck with this stuff. It runs splendid on the NF3 chipset, both S754 and S939, but the DFI NF4 board doesn't know what to do with it. :shrug:

BTW, at 251x11, 2.5-2-2-5, Sandra unbuffered was something like 3653/3745, only around 20-25 points less than 2-2-2-. Aquamark was 84,654, or only 30 points down. 3DMark2001 took a 200 point hit due to the CAS 2.5 (28,889 range). I did not run the other benches. I suspect the 3DMark2001 score will climb running 307x9, 166 divider at same clock (I usually gain 200 points with BH-5), but I couldn't get the rig to post with the 166 divider.

Crucial Ballistix?

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