Crucial Ballistix Tracer PC2-8500 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2 Memory Kit

Performance Summary & Final Conclusions:

I was quite impressed with the Crucial Ballistix Tracer DDR2 PC2-8500 2GB kit. This was more so from the fact that the modules were able to pull off the tighter timings at the rated speed which does not occur often. The overclocking ability of these modules was not what I was hoping for, but I fear that it is more likely the fault of the 975X chipset and not the modules themselves, as other sites have gotten these modules to around 1200MHz, therefore I will not discount these modules for poor overclocking as it is likely a motherboard limitation. As always, your mileage may vary depending on your system setup.

I will admit I was quite impressed by the LEDs. Before receiving the RAM from Crucial and installing it, I did not realize that there were blue (they look white) LEDs at the bottom of the modules. These blue LEDs light up nearly half of the motherboard, which if you have a window on your case, makes it look great. The red and green LEDs are more of a gimmick in my eyes, as they do not seem to serve any real purpose, but luckily the Tracer line is only about $5-10 more than the generic Ballistix, which is well worth the cost just for the blue LEDs on the bottom. The speed at which the top LEDs move does give some indication of memory activity, so if you aren't sure if your PC locked up or is just really busy you can take a glance at the LEDs.

This RAM is the best I have come across in a while, between the excellent performance in terms of being able to run faster than its rated speed at tighter timings, and the aesthetic value of lighting up the motherboard, it is by far my favorite. As with all of Crucial's memory, it is backed by their limited lifetime warranty.