Crucial Ballistix Sport LT 32GB DDR4-2400 Review

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Benchmarks And Final Analysis

I normally evaluate memory at a bunch of settings across a few benchmarks. Without the ability to adjust memory on the Aegis X test system, I decided to generate additional data by running our entire platform benchmark suite. Knowing that future SODIMM analysis could require higher XMP profiles, I included both SPD and XMP modes. And, knowing that the small CPU overclock enabled in concert with XMP provides data that can’t be fairly compared to the baseline RAM, I de-emphasized the setting by placing it at the bottom of each chart.

Synthetic Benchmarks

Memory bandwidth has progressed to the point that most applications can’t take full advantage of small performance improvements. Synthetic benchmarks can get around real-world limits by focusing primarily on the single component being evaluated. Most valuable of these in DRAM testing is Sandra’s Memory Bandwidth.

As promised, Sandra Memory Bandwidth shows additional performance for the Ballistix Sport LT DDR4-2400 set. We also see the performance advantages of a mildly-overclocked CPU when viewing the XMP mode results, but we’re really trying not to look too hard at cheater mode.

3D Game Performance

Our lower gaming test settings stress graphics less, allowing the rest of the system to pass data through a little more quickly. Grid 2 and Far Cry 3 both benefit very slightly from the greater memory bandwidth of DDR4-2400, though something went wrong with cheater mode in Far Cry 3.

Timed Benchmarks

One-second differences in timed benchmarks don’t mean much, since they can result from rounding up or down in the thousandths of a second. None of our timed benchmarks are consistent to less than a tenth of a second. Photoshop OpenCL is the single benchmark that stands out with a two second difference favoring the Ballistix Sport LT DDR4-2400.

At $140, the 32GB Ballistix Sport LT DDR4-2400 costs less than twice as much as the 16GB Hynix standard DDR4-2133. Users who want an excuse to buy more RAM need only look at the red bar in the graph to appease their value consciences. Meanwhile, buyers looking for an excuse to save money by not upgrading their memory capacity will be happy with the turquoise bars above.

MORE: Best Memory

MORE: DDR DRAM FAQs And Troubleshooting Guide

MORE: All Memory Content

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Thomas Soderstrom
Thomas Soderstrom is a Senior Staff Editor at Tom's Hardware US. He tests and reviews cases, cooling, memory and motherboards.
  • dangus
    there are endless different kits of RAM out there. does each REALLLLLY warrant its own review? i dunno.....
    Reply
  • Eximo
    Don't often see SODIMM reviews on here. On the contrary, more the better. Means manufacturers are willing to send hardware to Tom's for review and that help's keep people visiting, and funds the site.
    Reply
  • Gzerble
    How about checking up on SODIMM performance on the Skull Canyon NUC? SODIMMs with desktop GPUs don't really make sense, but that platform offers both a chance for improved graphics and a plausible use case for this set (how does 32GB compare to 16GB? Does the L4 make the difference in RAM speed matter less? et cetera).
    Reply
  • gearkraft
    I don't understand why this kit has stickers in place of heat spreaders...

    I bought the 4x4gb quad channel Crucial Ballistix Sport LT 16GB DDR4-2400 set from Microcenter and it has metal heat spreaders.
    Reply
  • _MOJO_
    RAM and the seemingly infinite amount of options and info is somewhat laughable. I did a little homework when I purchased mine- but was still not educated in the reality: that we are talking nano seconds of differences between one RAM stick and another. The price/performance is astronomical. I guess it makes a difference if you have money to burn.

    Check out the RAM performance charts with pricing:
    http://www.memorybenchmark.net/write_ddr3_intel.html

    Crucial definitely is a reputable company with a proven track record.
    Reply
  • Crashman
    18491227 said:
    I don't understand why this kit has stickers in place of heat spreaders...

    I bought the 4x4gb quad channel Crucial Ballistix Sport LT 16GB DDR4-2400 set from Microcenter and it has metal heat spreaders.
    We see fake heat spreaders on many SODIMMs. First of all, most memory doesn't actually need heat spreaders. Second, many SODIMM slots lay flat. So, once an engineer has determined heat spreaders aren't actually needed, he can use better fit as another reason to nix them without even mentioning cost savings. Unless he's talking to the bean counters :D
    Reply