Crucial Ballistix Tactical 16GB (4x4GB) 3000MHz Memory Kit Review

Performance Benchmarks

Cinebench

Before I get into the benchmarks, it’s important to clarify that the i7-5960X sample experienced issues with the memory controller a few weeks ago. As a result, the benchmarking was moved to the Z170 platform for the previous review which gave me enough time to attempt fixing the i7-5960X. Thankfully, the memory controller is now fully-functional and all the results from the previous testing apart from the one review using a different platform were retained. This shouldn’t impact on the results whatsoever but it’s something I wanted to mention to uphold a greater level of transparency.

When running the memory kit in its default 3000MHz configuration, the Cinebench score is decent although the performance lingers behind a number of rival products. Saying that, it’s not an area of concern because the majority of results remain within a small margin of error.

Once the overclock was applied, the Cinebench score increased to 1400 which is probably a result of the higher BCLK. Clearly, the overclock on some samples which featured a higher BCLK allowed for a more substantial improvement.

AIDA64

When tackling the AIDA64 memory bandwidth benchmark, the Crucial Ballistix Tactical performs brilliantly and recorded numbers within the performance tier I’d expect. As you can see, the read and copy figures are exemplary while the write rate is solid.

Rather surprisingly, the overclocked memory read rate only improved by a small degree which caused a great deal of bewilderment. As a result, I ran the benchmark on multiple occasions and even re-installed the software on another Windows drive to eliminate the probability of inaccurate readings. I’m still baffled by the situation and hope to have a more conclusive answer after more memory kits are assessed. Putting this aside, the write and copy numbers were good and showcased the benefits of memory overclocking.

Here we can see the stock memory latency is pretty decent and under 70 nanoseconds. Sadly, it’s some way behind competing products like the Mushkin Redline but you’re unlikely to notice the difference outside of synthetic applications.

After the overclock was applied, the memory latency reduced by two nanoseconds. Unfortunately, this isn’t the greatest result but it’s within touching distance of rising up through the field.

SiSoft Sandra

During the SiSoft Sandra benchmark, the memory kit achieved excellent scores and was just defeated by the Mushkin Redline.

Overclocking the modules didn’t make a huge impact when testing the memory bandwidth and the product struggled to contend with the Mushkin Redline despite having a higher frequency. This is unusual and raised some questions about the data once again.

WPrime

The Crucial Ballistix Tactical attained an acceptable calculation time in tandem with the i7-5960X. While it’s towards the lower-end, the difference is minimal and could easily improve with additional runs.

Overclocking the DIMMs aided the performance and made the calculation time drop under 4.1 seconds.

3DMark Fire Strike

In 3DMark Fire Strike, the memory kit acquired a superb Physics score and defeated its closest rival.

Once overclocked, the performance hardly changed and it’s clear that the memory kit’s higher frequency didn’t help matters when running the Fire Strike benchmark.