ballistix keeps failing

kpw · Mar 16, 2008

im on my third set of ballistix and today i had the same random restarts, so i ran memtest and it looks like my third set is also going bad

. can some one suggest some good ram? i would like to have 2gb total, my price range is about 100$ although i can go a bit more if its worth it. any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Hazaro · Mar 16, 2008

Are these the dual sided or newer (crappy) single sided ones?

Either way it doesn't look too good.
ygpm

tenchi86 · Mar 16, 2008

Could you please list your system specs so we know what type of ram you are in the market for?

Also is it safe to assume you are overclocking this ram and thus causing these failures? Or is it an issue with another component like your PSU?

Edit: Hazaro, would you mind detailing a bit more what you are saying. I am a bit unclear myself as may be the case for the topic starter how the current type of ram he has effects his future ram to a point of it "not looking good".

Tweaked! · Mar 16, 2008

It's because Ballistix is getting a reputation of having their ram fail. I'm on my fourth rma between two sets, and no the failures have not all been related to o/cing.

I'm sure I'll get flamed from a few Crucial fanboys for this statement, but that's pretty much how it's summing up to me. I've seen a few different threads now between a few sites all discussing this issue with Ballistix ram. They do o/c quite well for their rated speeds, but they're also prone to failing.

kpw · Mar 16, 2008

my current system is
ip35-e
bfg 8800gt
q6600
corsair vx500

i have not overclocked this system yet, i was going to save up some cash to get a better cpu hs.

=ACID RAIN= · Mar 16, 2008

What is your system temp, and do you have actively flowing air over the ram? If the temp is high, and air is not moving, you will kill this ram.

I still have my first set, but I keep air moving continuously. It is the old dual sided ram as well.

Blkout · Mar 16, 2008

Ballistix have been unreliable for years now.

kpw · Mar 16, 2008

i have a fan blowing directly on the ram and my temps are reasonable as well cpu temps are 34,34,38,38 case is 25. all of the ram i have gotten has been single sided

MadMan007 · Mar 16, 2008

After 3 RMAs you should request that they replace them with double-sided sticks. Some quick reading over at xtremesystems says those are better oc'ers and more reliable too.

I've had 4x1GB of Ballistix for a while now and the only time they've failed Memtest is when the BIOS Auto Ram sub-timings were rediculously low, like 3, where they should realistically be ~8-10. I keep a fan running on them for airflow and never overvolted above 2.2V. :shrug:

luck of the draw I guess, but I did think Crucial turned things around from the failure-prone DDR1 days. Guess not :-/

=ACID RAIN= · Mar 16, 2008

Ok you don't fit any of the normal situations for bad ram haha. I got nothing LOL

MadMan007 · Mar 16, 2008

What are all the Ram timings, primary and secondary? Maybe you're having the same issue I had where the auto settings were way too tight.

tranceaddict · Mar 16, 2008

DO NOT BOTHER WITH BALLISTIX ANYMORE!! I build my new rig recently and went through 2 sets of bad Crucial Ballistix PC2-8500 kits of RAM. They were both the single sided ones and do not let anyone else tell you otherwise. THEY ARE PURE GARBAGE!. Those sticks were nothing but a goddamn hassle for me and a waste of money (return shipping). I finally got the sticks in my sig., and I could not be any happier. BTW, they were the exact same price as the Ballistix $75.

=ACID RAIN= · Mar 16, 2008

Funny, I got patriot and they bombed right out of the box. Then I got ballistix and they have been cruising ever since.

kpw · Mar 16, 2008

MadMan007 said:
What are all the Ram timings, primary and secondary? Maybe you're having the same issue I had where the auto settings were way too tight.

i wont be able to get the timings until later. i dont think its an issue with them being too tight though because after each rma the stick would last about a month (i didnt think timings needed to be loosened over time) also i tried it on another mobo and it still had errors. although it could be that they both are too tight on auto.

Moffetts · Mar 17, 2008

I blew out my Ballistix and subsequently bought a 2x1 set of Team Group Xtreem DDR2 800. The heat spreaders on these are much more significant than the ones on the Ballistix, and so far they are rock stable at 1100 mhz. The timings are default (5-5-5-18) but I am still messing with them.

kpw · Mar 17, 2008

what do you guys think about this stuff? linky its the same price as the g.skill on the egg but i could go get it tomorrow. i have also heard good things about corsair, Fry's also has it on sale right now but the timings are not as tight corsair1 corsair2
let me know what you guys think

Hazaro · Mar 17, 2008

I don't know about Fry's return policy, but I buy my stuff form newegg because their returns and CS are so good if I ever have problems it's easy for me.

I don't anyone on these boards that uses Patriot memory (Not that it's bad) just saying.

=ACID RAIN= · Mar 17, 2008

I am always pleased with newegg as well. I've even had parts longer than 30 days, but unusable because I needed other parts still for them to plug into, and then when they were bad, a newegg rep I spoke with grabbed his manager and had the RMA ok'd.

This actually happened with the patriot ram I had, heh.

eva2000 · Mar 17, 2008

active fan cooling on memory ? why you ask ? read http://i4memory.com/showthread.php?t=5508

Charr · Mar 17, 2008

I have two sets of ballistix, no problems with them. I have one more set coming to me, hopefully these are good too.

ballistix keeps failing

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