It's great to see how individual memory stacks up against the competition under stock configurations, but we're also going to show how it compares when overclocked.

With performance in mind, we're going to compare the maximum overclocked results of the various DDR2/3 memory modules PCSTATS has tested in the past which are listed below.

Remember, just because memory is clocked fast doesn't mean it's the best thing for a computer. Timings are also important, and getting the right ratio of both is the real key to performance based overclocking!

Maximum Overclocked Speeds - PCSTATS TEST Results
DDR3 Memory - Maximum Speed w/ Low Latency	Timings	Capacity	Max Speed	Ranking
Corsair DOMINATOR Twin3X2048-1800C7D	7-7-7-20	1024MB	1840 MHz
Super Talent W1866UX2G8	7-7-7-20	1024MB	1780 MHz
Mushkin HP3-10666	6-7-6-18	1024MB	1452 MHz
Crucial Ballistix PC3-12800	7-7-7-20	1024MB	0
DDR2 Memory - Maximum Speed w/ Low Latency	Timings	Capacity	Max Speed	Ranking
Corsair DOMINATOR Twin2X2048-8888C4DF	4-4-4-12	1024MB	1260 MHz
Corsair DOMINATOR Twin2X2048-8888C4DF*	4-4-4-12	1024MB	1244 MHz
Patriot PDC22G9200ELK	4-4-4-12	1024MB	1170 MHz
OCZ PC2-7200 Platinum SLI*	4-4-3-15	1024MB	1142 MHz
Corsair DOMINATOR Twin2X2048-9136C5D*	4-4-4-12	1024MB	1142 MHz
PNY XLR8 D22GX85XL-5	4-4-4-12	1024MB	1120 MHz
Mushkin XP2-6400	4-3-3-10	2048MB	1066 MHz
SuperTalent T1000UX2G4	4-5-4-12	1024MB	1044 MHz
Corsair Twin2X2048-6400C4*	4-4-4-12	1024MB	1000 MHz
Patriot PDC22G8000+XBLK	4-4-4-12	1024MB	1000 MHz
Corsair Twin2X2048-8500C5*	4-4-4-12	1024MB	977MHz
Crucial PC2-6400	4-4-4-12	1024MB	890 MHz
Corsair Twin2X2048-6400C3*	3-4-3-9	1024MB	888 MHz
PNY D22GX93XLP-5 XLR8	4-4-4-12	1024MB	N/A
DDR3 Memory - Maximum Speed	Timings	Capacity	Max Speed	Ranking
Corsair DOMINATOR Twin3X2048-1800C7D	8-8-8-24	1024MB	1920 MHz
Super Talent W1866UX2G8	8-8-8-24	1024MB	1900 MHz
Crucial Ballistix PC3-12800	8-8-8-20	1024MB	1780 MHz
Mushkin HP3-10666	8-8-8-24	1024MB	1760 MHz
DDR2 Memory - Maximum Speed	Timings	Capacity	Max Speed	Ranking
Corsair DOMINATOR Twin2X2048-8888C4DF	5-5-5-15	1024MB	1300 MHz
PNY D22GX93XLP-5 XLR8	5-5-5-15	1024MB	1280 MHz
Patriot PDC22G9200ELK	5-5-5-12	1024MB	1260 MHz
Corsair DOMINATOR Twin2X2048-8888C4DF*	5-5-5-15	1024MB	1244 MHz
Corsair DOMINATOR Twin2X2048-9136C5D*	5-5-5-15	1024MB	1244 MHz
PNY XLR8 D22GX85XL-5	5-5-5-15	1024MB	1220 MHz
OCZ PC2-7200 Platinum SLI*	5-5-5-15	1024MB	1219 MHz
Corsair Twin2X2048-8500C5*	5-5-5-15	1024MB	1200 MHz
SuperTalent T1000UX2G4	5-5-5-15	1024MB	1160 MHz
Patriot PDC22G8000+XBLK	5-5-5-15	1024MB	1155 MHz
Corsair Twin2X2048-6400C4*	5-5-5-15	1024MB	1142 MHz
Mushkin XP2-6400	5-5-5-15	2048MB	1130 MHz
Crucial PC2-6400	5-5-5-15	1024MB	1080 MHz
Corsair Twin2X2048-6400C3*	5-5-5-15	1024MB	1066 MHz

* - denotes tested on ECS PN2 SLI2+ platform

The Crucial Ballistix PC3-12800 DDR3 memory is not able to keep up with the other DDR3 memory modules tested recently, but it's not slow by any means. The memory did not support overclocking with 7-7-7-20 low latency timings, but did overclock fairly well with default (lax) timings of 8-8-8-20 to 1780MHz.

Crucial's Ballistix DDR3; Good for Overclockers?

In short, Crucial's Ballistix PC3-12800 CL8 memory is the companies best stab at the DDR3 overclocking wagon right now. The memory runs well on 8-8-8-20 timings when overclocked, but does not stand out from the crowd. In PCSTATS tests, the Ballistix PC3-12800 CL8 memory failed to overclock with tight 7-7-7-20 timings, while most of the other DDR3 memories we have tested could manage this.

Crucial is well respected and you can bet we expect a lot when it comes to its enthusiast class Ballistix line of memory. Did it live up to the reputation of its previous enthusiast friendly DDR and DDR2 memory line? Usually we wouldn't question Crucial, but as a relatively member to the enthusiast market it needs to work a little harder.

Crucial's Ballistix PC3-12800 CL8 is pretty competitively priced at $677 CDN ($680 US, £333 GBP). For that price you get a 2GB memory kit capable of running at DDR3-1600 speeds with 8-8-8-20 timings at a voltage of 1.8V.

In terms of performance the Crucial Ballistix PC3-12800 CL8 memory had a little less memory bandwidth available to it, but that did not affect the other benchmarks. PCMark05 results were strong and the gaming tests show that the Ballistix PC3-12800 CL8 was good. Doom 3 and FEAR framerates were pretty good and comparable to the other DDR3 modules tested recently and that's a good thing.

In terms of overclocking the Crucial Ballistix PC3-12800 CL8 memory did alright. Not spectacular, not bad either. It overclocked to a maximum speed of 1780 MHz with 8-8-8-20 timings. Tight timings were a no go, which was disappointing. It's not the best overclock that PCSTATS has seen from DDR3 but it's high enough for you to push your hardware.

DDR3 is an emerging market where there are certain to be many exciting turns down the road. For the moment, Crucial's Ballistix PC3-12800 is decent overclocker memory. At stock speeds it is rock solid and backed by a great warranty, but PCSTATS would like to see Ballistix live up to its name a little more by overclocking further.

Find out about this and many other reviews by joining the Weekly PCstats.com Newsletter today! Catch all of PCSTATS latest reviews right here.

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