Performance: 40 out of 40.
This is easily the fastest set of RAM we have seen in a long, long while. Yes, Ballistic may label this kit as DDR4-3600… but that is merely a suggestion or a starting point for brave individuals. If you are looking for a kit of RAM that has great overclocking potential this new Elite addition demands to be on your short, short list.
Ease of Use: 20 out of 20
The Elite series has always prided itself on being both high performance and easy to use, and the new DDR4-3600 model is no exception. Everything from excellent ‘first POST’ DDR4-2133 @ 1.2v abilities to bleeding edge DDR4-3600 (and higher) is covered. There really is nothing to dislike about the Elite series on this front. They simply work and work well regardless of what speeds and voltages the motherboard is expecting.
Build Quality & Warranty: 18 out of 20
There are no ifs, no and’s, and no (stinky) but(t)s about it… the Elite series is still built like a high tech tank. Heat sinks instead of heat spreaders covering highly binned NAND ICs, all backstopped by a lifetime warranty… what is not the like!?
Value: 15 out of 20
For those who can afford the asking price the overall value of this series is hard to beat. For DDR4-3600 pricing you can easily get 3866 and maybe even 4000 performance. That is hard to argue with, but it still is $400 (USD) upfront cost. So, some may not find it hard to justify considering the less expensive Ballistix models offer more customizability – albeit at the cost of less overall performance. Such value will vary from potential buyer to potential buyer. We have split the difference, but you will most likely either consider it a perfect 20… or a mediocre 10 out of 20.
Final Score: 93 out of 100
Ballistix has once again exceeded our expectations with their latest Elite refresh. Everything from great overclocking to hassle-free setup and configuration, this kit has you covered. The only two issues that keep this kit from being perfect is the somewhat dated aesthetics compared to other Ballistix refreshes, and the asking price. While it can easily justify its asking price of 4-bills… that is still a large chunk of change to spend for 32GB of DDR4 RAM. So be sure you actually need this level of performance or you may be slightly disappointed and/or frustrated.
