After having a close look at both mega-capacity, and mega-fun variants of the newer Ballistix Gaming Memory series, we felt it best to move on to their line designed specifically for overclocking enthusiasts… and those buyers who only want the best. That quick description actually describes the new Ballistix MAX Gaming Memory line to a ‘T’ and today we will be putting their $200 2x8GB DDR4-4000 kit, model number BLM2K8G40C18U4BL, to the test.
With a name like ‘Max’ it should come as little surprise that this new Max series is not designed with the average buyer or average budget in mind. Instead, and as the name suggests, the Ballistix Max line is all about maximums. Maximum durability and robustness via uber-thick heat sinks, thicker 8-layer PCBs, and better on-board temperature sensors. Maximum overclocking potential via highly screened ‘cream of the crop’ RAM ICs. Maximum aesthetics via LED and non-LED models. Ballistix does all that so that their MAX Desktop Gaming Memory series can provide potential buyers with maximum flexibility and maximum peace of mind.
That all sounds great; however, going hand in hand with all that enhanced abilities is one hitch… the asking price. While we would not go as far as saying it is Max priced, this series certainly is edging towards the high end of the spectrum. Ballistix is well aware of this Achilles Heel, and that is why they offer kits with frequencies which range from a mild DDR4-4000 (by overclocking standards) to wild (DDR4-5100), and even range from capacities of 16GB(2x8GB) to 32GB (2x16GB).
Put another way, the DDR4-4000 2x8GB is their “starter”, or entry level kit… and makes for a relatively inexpensive introduction to their MAX series and what it has to offer. In this vein, we will once again be using both AMD and Intel CPUs so that we can show what both ‘teams’ can do with this kit. With all that data presented you should then be able to make an informed decision on if the added cost is worth it to you and your build.
