When building a computer, a real powerhouse machine makes no concessions. Everything from your drives to your RAM better scream performance, otherwise you simply aren’t doing it right. That being said, performance doesn’t always have to come at a price. Crucial have been great competitors in the market, challenging the status-quo of SSDs and RAM by lowering the price-to-performance margins.
The necessity for high-performance is ever-growing. Games and media applications alike (I’m looking at you, Adobe After Effects) are literally swallowing RAM left, right, and center. You may have noticed a sudden increase recently in the recommended and optimal requirements for systems. Developers of big budget titles have started allocating 16GB as the “recommended” across numerous titles. The upcoming Battlefield 1 is anticipated to take 16GB as a “recommended” alone and above as “optimal”. For the streamers, YouTubers and media people out there, extra is always better. This is where DDR4 modules come in and, in particular, a metric ton of them. The Crucial Ballistix Sport LT offers 2x16GB memory modules that, quite frankly, are OP (there is no other word or abbreviation that summarise this more effectively).
Crucial describe the product as:
“Designed for performance enthusiasts, gamers, and anyone who simply wants to get more out of their system, Crucial Ballistix Sport LT DDR4 memory helps you do just that. Give your processor the resources it needs to perform and make your computer faster and more responsive.”
Design
In many of my reviews, I reference what I call our “inner badass”. We all have one. It’s that part of you that says “BUY THAT, IT HAS LEDs” or “I have a window for a reason god dammit”. We want good looking hardware, hardware that makes people on Reddit squirm in envy. If it can make it up the ranks of the PC Master Race Reddit, then you truly have ascended into aesthetic glory.
Crucial really are back with more bang here. I found their grey Sport LTs visually appealing enough. With that being said, the red ones, well, they are simply stunning. With a black PCB, the Sport LTs come with a glorious red camouflage heat-spreader. Not only does this dissipate heat well, it looks outstanding. They have an aggressive shimmer to them with patterned edges and look menacing on a black and red motherboard such as the MSI Gaming series or some of the recent ASUS boards. I should also note that when I say black PCB, I actually mean black PCB (believe me, some manufacturers always end up with a dodgy brown color). I should also mention that the camouflage design isn’t too overbearing or too “out there”. It blends in quite nicely with most boards and doesn’t make the mistake of trying to steal too much of the show.
Packaging
As per usual, the RAM arrives in a resealable blister pack which I find quite handy. When swapping out so much stuff on builds and test-benches, it is nice to have a secure place to pop the RAM back into (that being said, these bad boys haven’t and likely won’t be swapped out any time soon.)
Product Specification
Product highlights
- Speeds start at 2400 MT/s
- Faster speeds and responsiveness than standard Crucial DDR4 memory
- Ideal for gamers and performance enthusiasts
- Four channel memory architecture maximizes data rates
- Digital camouflage heat spreader available in white, gray, and red
- Easy plug-and-play installation
- Intel® XMP 2.0 profiles for easy configuration
- Optimized for the latest Intel platforms
- Limited lifetime warranty
The Ballistix Sport LT has numerous benefits. It is quick, easy to install, and immediately gives your system a massive pump of power. Stability and performance are key with all RAM. It caused no issues in multiple BIOS and took on RAM intensive tasks like a breeze. You haven’t seen system strain until you open four adobe applications at the same time. This RAM certainly sufficed in tackling the task. 32GB may feel like overkill but it is totally worth it, particularly when future-proofing. Dual-channel 32GB is overpowered as hell. Even games and multiple applications at the same time hardly got close.
Gaming
Now, here is probably the biggest consideration when it comes to upgrading or buying new RAM for a rig: what should you keep in mind for gaming? Well, in terms of performance RAM, it offers very little addition to your frame-rate in games. However, that is not to say your RAM performance doesn’t matter. Games can consume a lot of RAM, especially recent titles that are increasing their requirements. As developers get more intricate, your machine will have to take the front of the challenge. What really matters is how much RAM you have available, how well it performs, and how stable it is.
The Sport LT performance is consistent, staying at a great 2400Mhz at a constant basis. The RAM also encounters absolutely no trouble in terms of stability. I never received any hitches that, believe me, happens with “plug-in play RAM”. Not too long ago, 32GB RAM would have been considered “overkill”. Whilst 32GB can be considered somewhat overkill, considering 16GB is starting to become “recommended”, it is good to have the future in mind. Games like Battlefield 1, Titanfall 2 and Rising Storm 2: Vietnam are almost certain to be pushing the boundaries for RAM, so be prepared.
Value
The final thing to really consider is price. This particular set retails for around $132/£220 (May 2016) which is somewhat on the steeper side of things. However, when on sale it has dropped as low as £115 which is an absolute bargain. Value-wise, the retail isn’t particularly appealing. However, seeing as you can frequently catch it on sale it could very well be a fantastic bargain.
Conclusion
To conclude, the Crucial Ballistix Sport LT RAM is some of the best on the market. With excellent performance and stability, this is a great set to purchase for those looking to upgrade or build a new PC. It looks fantastic and the 32GB set is enough memory to provide you peace of mind for the future. If you can find it on sale, you are in for a real treat.
A Crucial Ballistix Sport LT 32GB-Red was provided by Crucial for the purpose of this review