Ballistix Performance Memory topics

Ballistix Fails in ASUS Workstation

jawsurgeon — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:01:53 GMT

Ballistix memory fails to work in ASUS P5E-WS Pro Workstations. I installed 8 GB of 2 different types of Ballistix memory modules in 2 brand new MB. Both experienced intermmittent crashes, data corruption, OS failure over a period of 4-5 months. RMA'd MB's to ASUS, replaced drives, reinstalled OS'....ran complete burnin diagnostics. you ge the picture. Finally I just bought new memory; Crucial memory. Once installed and Ballistix was removed these systems have run continuously for almost 6 months without a single failure.

I would NOT recommend this memory ..buy something else.

However, I would recommend Crucial..they have been great !!! they took back all of the memory and credited my account !

Ballistix Tracer on EP45T-UD3LR

charlesshoults — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 04:58:35 GMT

I started acquiring parts about a month ago and started setting everything up today after my power supply (Antec TruePower New 750w) came in. I'm facing continual crashes. My configuration is a Gigabyte EP45T-UD3LR with a Core 2 Quad Q9400 and 4GB of Ballistix Tracer (BL2KIT25664TR1608). When I turned it on for the fist time, I entered the bios and after just a few seconds, the lights on my USB keyboard and mouse went out and the system apparently froze. The clock in the bios stopped ticking but the lights on the memory sticks continued to cycle. Per directions on the mobo, the memory was placed in slots 1 and 3, thereby activating dual channel. I tried loading failsafe defaults and also loading optimal defaults, but the computer still freezes within a seconds after post. I plugged in a PS/2 keyboard as I've had problems with USB on other systems, and disconnected all SATA devices, disconnected network, unplugged sound, essentially getting rid of anything not essential to booting. The next time it locked up on me, I noticed that while the lights on the USB had been failing, the lights on the PS/2 keyboard were now blinking on and off. Doing some forum hunting, I found extremely similar issues with other models of Gigabyte boards. Using they're attempts, I set CPU Host Clock Control specifically to 333 instead of Auto and Performance Enhance to Standard instead of the default of Extreme. Although the memory was being detected as 9-9-9-24, I set these specifically instead of leaving them as Auto. MCH Core, which I read was the Northbridge voltage, was set to 1.100V. Per suggestions, I tried raising this to 1.200V and for the moment, didn't change the DRAM voltage, detected as 1.5V. When the system starts up, I do get further, but it normally freezes while trying to boot from the Ubuntu 9.10 live CD. As a hunch, I moved the second memory module from slot 3 to slot 2, effectively forcing the system into single channel mode. It works better, as I can get fully loaded into Ubuntu but after several minutes, it still usually freezes. The next time I restarted, I launched memtest86 and let it dig through the 4GB of configured memory and it started reporting errors after about 10 minutes. I tried adjusting memory timings to what the memory is rated for, 8-8-8-24 at 1.64V as 1.65V isn't an option (1.64V or 1.66V), but when I save and exit, I get continual short beeps, indicating a power issue. The next time it went back into the bios, it told me that there was an overclocking issue and set the values back to what they had been previously. I shut down and removed the second stick of memory entirely, booted from CD and launched Memtest86 again. This time around, I'm now 32 minutes into testing and so far, no errors reported from the single stick of memory. If it still has not errored out after an hour, I'm going to shut down and repeat the tests on the other stick.

It's my own fault for buying memory that was not on Gigabyte's spec sheet, but I bought the memory that I wanted, that was within the parameters listed by Gigabyte. I would really love to be able to keep the components I've bought, and eventually take the board up to 8GB, but so far, it doesn't look promising.

Help, please?

Ballistix Tracer voltage

johncorley — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 02:02:57 GMT

Help: I have a MSI K9N2 SLI Platinum mobo, but the specs on the board says the dimms can't go over 1.8V but the Memory I have is the Crucial Ballistix Tracer 800MHz 2.0V, can this memory work with new board, I am new to this and do not want to mess anything up, can someone help, John.

Problems with new RAM, boot time and CPU usage

Blue123 — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:35:21 GMT

Hi,

I recently bought two sets of Crucial Ballistix RAM for my computer. The exact ones that I bought after checking with the memory advisor tool are:

http://www.crucial.com/uk/store/mpartspecs.aspx?mtbpoid=1522EBAAA5CA7304

They arrived yesterday, and I installed them, replacing my existing 2 x 1GB DIMMs with these..

I'm in need of the extra performance, but instead I've had lots of trouble. Firstly, my computer now takes extremely long to boot. The initial startup is fine if just a bit slower (the POST, etc.) but when the windows XP splashcreen appears, it takes about 10 minutes to move onto the logon screen. After logging in - things feel a bit sluggish - and bringing up the task manager, I can see in the performance tab that there is 8GB of RAM available, which seems alright. But there's a problem here- the CPU usage now rests at about 40-50% when I'm not doing anything, compared to 2-3% from when I was using my old RAM! The main reason I bought the new RAM is that I need it for music production, but running any of the programs that I need sends the usage right up to 100% leading to a crash or excruciatingly slow performance. Not quite what I need!

I'm quite stumped as to what the problem here is. A few searches on google as well, haven't turned up anything that is of substantial help. I'd appreciate any advice/help that people have to offer.

Thanks.

READ ME FIRST: Ballistix Guides and FAQs

Crucial_FAQ — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:07:56 GMT

We want all of our members to enjoy their experience in the Crucial forum community. Please bear in mind the following when asking for help:

1. Please do not post in all caps. This is unnecessary and makes the forums difficult to read.

2. Create new posts for your specific issue, unless a solution has been posted prior. (Use "search" function to find a solution that has already been posted. Do not change the subject headlines for other posts.)

3. Post a subject title that provides a clear indication of the problem you are experiencing. For example. posting something like "Major problem!! Look inside!" does not communicate anything about the issue you are facing.

4. Please provide the following information:

Make and model names of computer or motherboard. If you do not know this information, click on the following link to use our system scanner.

http://www.crucial.com/systemscanner/

When the scanner has finished, copy the URL from your browser's address bar and paste it into your post, so we can find the information.

Crucial Part Number. The one from the part, not the one from the scan result page (the two are different).

A detailed description of issue. Simply saying "part is not working" does not provide enough information to be able to give a detailed, helpful response.

Is my memory faulty?

cpm73 — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:07:54 GMT

I'm hoping someone can advise me with a problem I have.
My system has been working fine until recently and now it will crash/segfault about 1-2 times a day (running Linux 24hrs a day).

I've got 2 x 2GB sticks of Crucial Ballistix (BL25564UK80A) DDR2 800MHz memory.

After yet another crash the other day, I decided to run Memtest86+ v2.11 on it right after rebooting and it was throwing up loads of errors so I shut it down and decided to test each stick separately.
The first stick looked healthier until the Random Number Sequence test which raised some errors, but nowhere near as many as when I first tested with both stick installed.
I then tested the 2nd stick and it passed with no faults.
I decided to re-test the first stick again and this time it passed too.

So I'm a little baffled. Either its the rest of my system thats at fault, or the memory was overheating perhaps and had cooled down with me opening the case and swapping bits around to do the testing.
After the memory passed, I restarted the system. Each time it comes up fine, but usually within 24 hrs it'll crash again.

I've luckily got another system with 2 x 1GB sticks of slower DDR2 memory (not Crucial memory) that I could switch over to using, and with that memory installed, my system has been up and running quite happily for the last 3-4 days under basically the same loads it was experiencing before.
I switched everything back again last night and it crashed in the night yet again.

So it looks like its the memory to me and under heavy load its failing, but its hard to be conclusive given it will pass the Memtests eventually.
If I send them back as faulty - the chances are they'll pass any RMA testing and get sent right back to me.

Has anyone got any other ideas as to what the cause might be or what I can do?

Thanks for any help in advance

Chris

Installing Ballistix memory makes my audio hardware vanish!

furtive — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:21:41 GMT

I have an EQS RS690MKM AB1S motherboard in my Media PC which had 2 x 1Gb DDR2 800Mhz Corsair memory sticks in it (CM2X1024-6400C4) and everything worked fine, but I have Windows 7 64-bit installed, so it ran a bit slowly. So I ordered a pair of 2Gb Ballistix DDR2 800 CL4 from Crucial. Initially I put them in the spare 2 slots to give me a total of 6Gb or memory, but when I booted into Windows my audio hardware had vanished from Device Manager. So I removed the old Corsair memory thinking maybe there was some sort of conflict between the two types of memory, but my audio hardware was still missing. If I remove the Ballistix memory and stick the Corsiar memory back in, my audio hardware magically reappears. Any idea what the hell is going on? Thanks.

Help with Ballistix PC3 - 10600 Timings

Gster — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:52:55 GMT

Hello Everyone.

I'm a little confused because I bought a PC3 10600, 4GB Kit (Part # BL2KIT25664BA1336) that is supposedly rated to run at 1.8V with 6-6-6-20 timings. However, I cannot verify that on the Crucial product website because the kits that are similar in size (2 x 2GB sticks) are all 8-8-8-24 and PC3 12800 and the sticks that are the same (PC3 10600) are either different voltage or different CAS timings.

I'd like to point out that I'm not just seeking verification. I ran Prime95 and kept coming back with errors. The CPU speed never goes about 49 degrees Celsius which is why I am looking into my RAM.

I currently have the RAM timings set manually in my BIOS at 1.8V and 6-6-6-20 but I don't know what to do with the Bank Cycle Time (tRC) or the Command Rate (CR) timings.

Any help or suggestions are appreciated. Thanks!

RE: Under clocking Ballistix DDR3 1600

billaboo — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 06:06:19 GMT

Hello! I'm currently running this kit: BL3CP25664BN1608 on a P6T Deluxe V2 with i7 920 D0. I would like to run this kit at DDR3 1333 with tighter timings. I think the default timings for this kit is 8-8-8-24, 2T but, I'm not sure. Preferably, I would like to set timings to 7-7-7-24 although I'm not sure if this is a possibility. It would be nice to hear from others who have tried this and has encountered any stability issues. Also, What would be the best voltage setting If I'm able to run this set at the desired timings and speed (1333, 7-7-7-24). Is it possible to run this set at for example.....1.5V instead of 1.65V? One last question if I may....does under clocking nullify the warranty? My apologies for all the N00B questions.

Corsair and Ballistic Conflicting

JackNoir — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 23:50:12 GMT

My August Sirs,

I have two matched Corsair 1GB memories and I have just received two matched Ballistic 1GB memories to fill my slots in a nVidia MOBO. The details are:

Corsair = CM2X1024 DDR2-6400 800MHZ 1.90V 5-5-5-12

Balistic = BL2KIT 12864AA80A PC2 DDR2-6400 800MHZ 2.00V 4-4-4-12

The problem:

I only see 2864 MB no mater what the configuration of the 4 memories.

Bios saysI have 4 GB of memories.

The Maximum Memory switch is off, some control freak put that one into Windows huh?

Windows memory tester (say what you will its a test) recognized all 4 memories and gave no errors.

It is not a systemic MOBO voltage problem, all though the Corsair's are 1.9 volts, because my machine is running normally at this moment with just the twin Ballistic memories.

Everything snaps in good and works as advertised when not mixed with the other brand..

The MOBO is a peach and the slots and surrounding circuit board are in good shape.

My questions right now are:

1. Does the 2864 MB reading indicate that I have a double sided card problem and half the chips are being read? Hard to believe, the numbers wrong and the Corsair looks dbl sided too.

2. Can we find the guy who invented the Maximum Memory Switch?

3. Could there be a voltage conflict when all the memories are in place? I have tried all the ways to arrange them. and any combination including all 4 memories gives the same 2864 MB.

4. How should I proceed?

Regards,

Jack Noir

Both sticks of ram pass memtest seperatly but not together...

kennyg2k5 — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 06:10:49 GMT

Model #bl25664aa80a

I just bought a new motherboard and I am having problems with my 2x2gb ram modules. At first I thought that my newly installed windows 7 might have been corrupted because the computer would BSOD while loading. I ran memtest with both sticks and came up with errors. But when I ran each stick, twice, by themselves and in different slots, they passed each time. Please help.

BTW the mobo is Gigabyte GA-MA790X-UD4P.

Ballistix replacement

j2pie — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:11:21 GMT

Are all the Crucial modules single-sided now? I talked to a representative from live-chat and she told me Crucial no longer offers double-sided modules..I guess I'll be getting some single-sided ones from my RMA. And they only lasted a year, when they were fresh from RMA.... I hope it still has something of value, since not many people like single-sided modules :/

What has replaced the BL2KIT12864BE2009

deloosem — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:48:01 GMT

What has replaced the BL2KIT12864BE2009?

I have em in my system and I want to ad 2 Gig of the same memory but it seems its not produced anymore so I am stuck.

Do I throw them away and buy new (but what has the same performance)

Or is there something available I can add that has the same performance...so I don't need to change the bios settings?

RMA Assistance Please

pamelaz — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:08:54 GMT

Moved for better exposure.

will this memory work with this MOB and cpu?

Steve — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 20:45:50 GMT

I am fixing to buy this cpu and MB and wanted to make sure I am buying the right memory for it. Can anyone tell me?

Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model BL2KIT12864BA1608 - Retail Item #: N82E16820148146 Return Policy:

GIGABYTE GA-MA790GPT-UD3H AM3 AMD 790GX HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail Item #: N82E16813128398
AMD Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition Callisto 3.1GHz Socket AM3 80W Dual-Core Processor Model HDZ550WFGIBOX - Retail Item #: N82E16819103680 Return Policy: CPU Replacement Only Return Policy

ASUS P4-PN9300 Barebones wont post with Ballistix

mikeburton1955 — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 12:02:01 GMT

I cannot get Ballisitx 2x 1GB DDR2 PC2-6400 to post in this new barebones machine from ASUS. 1 long 2 short beeps indicating it cant read the memory. I have tried moving the memory around with using 1 or 2 slots.

http://uk.asus.com/product.aspx?P_ID=fEMLgh6B4GRRCGDK

Ballistix part number 72956. I borrowed some similar memory from a friend and that was OK. The machine is quite new and not on the list of approved machines from Crucial but I wouldn't have thought it a problem.

The Ballistix memory came from a working system.

Grateful for any suggestions.

Mike

All DDR3-1600MHz 2Gb standalone Ballistix Tracers out of stock in EU

Xserces — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 11:58:05 GMT

Just wanna to ask when you get new ones... Cuz i really wanna to buy them.

Thanks for reply!

Need timings for Gigabyte GA-EP43-UD3L

widenet — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 01:48:47 GMT

For some reason none of the more generic recommendations (here and at Tweaktown) seem to work with this board and my Ballistix modules. I have the oft reported problem of one DIMM working fine at 800MHz but two or more causing the frantic beeping condition (23 beeps, then a reset, which is supposed to indicate a "power problem" but is apparently wrong). So far I've tried:

- All settings at Auto: 23 beeps, regardless of DIMMs

- Forced bus speed ot 400MHz and multiplier of 2.0x: works for 1 DIMM, 23 beeps for 2, 3 or 4 DIMMs.

- Forced bus speed ot 333MHz and multiplier of 2.0x: works for 1 DIMM, 23 beeps for 2, 3 or 4 DIMMs.

- Forced bus speed ot 400MHz and multiplier of 2.0x, setting timings to 5,5,5,18: works for 1 DIMM, 23 beeps for 2, 3 or 4 DIMMs.

- Forced bus speed ot 333MHz and multiplier of 2.0x, setting timings to 5,5,5,18: works for 1 DIMM, 23 beeps for 2, 3 or 4 DIMMs.

- Forced bus speed ot 400MHz and multiplier of 2.0x, setting timings to 6,6,6,24: works for 1 DIMM, 23 beeps for 2, 3 or 4 DIMMs.

- Forced bus speed ot 333MHz and multiplier of 2.0x, setting timings to 6,6,6,24: works for 1 DIMM, 23 beeps for 2, 3 or 4 DIMMs.

I've also tried each of the above with voltage forced to 1.8, 2.0 and 2.1 with no change in behavior.

I should mention that I was only able to get this far by borrowing a stick of OCZ Gold Series, which for some inexplicable reason works at full Auto settings, even though the specs appear to be the same. Also, the Ballistix model number on my DIMMs are BL12864AA804.16FD3, NOT BL12864AA80A as found currently for sale at http://www.crucial.com/store/partspecs.aspx?IMODULE=BL12864AA80A .

I've run memtest86 for hours on single DIMM configurations and never seen an error. Plus, these DIMMs have run flawlessly in an older Gigabyte motherboard for months.

Incidentally, a support ticket has been in the queue at http://ggts.gigabyte.com.tw for 2 days now and hasn't even been looked at yet. Is that typical?

I'm hoping that someone here has the same or a similar combo, or can at least come up with a more avanced approach. I'm an old hand at systems work but must admit I'm not what you'd call an overclocker, although I'm certainly open to that approach if I can get a stable system with 4 DIMMs out of it....

Thanks in advance.

DDR3 Ballistix PC3-16000 BL12864BE2009

vpresley83 — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 08:18:59 GMT

What happened to this memory ?? Dont see it on the Crucial Website any more Does anyone know why ?? Was there a problem with it ?

Vince

2x2GB BallistiX causes EVGA 680i not to POST

Casper42 — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 00:25:52 GMT

I am working on a friend's computer.

He just upgraded to a E8400 and also got a BallistiX 4-4-4-12 4GB Kit (2x2GB)

Upgraded his BIOS to P33, which is the latest according to the EVGA Website, in order to support the E8400.

Tried to fire it up and get nothing on screen and the 2 LCD diag panels inside just say - - which means its not loading the BIOS at all.

Swapped his CPU back to the older E6600, Same problem

Put back in his older OCZ memory (4x1GB) and it fires right up with no problems.

Put the E8400 back in, still with the OCZ memory, and it boots up again with no problems.

This rules out the E8400 as the problem since I am posting this with it right now.

Any ideas?

I'm wondering if it has to do with the 2.0v listed on the BallistiX but I would have suspected the Mobo would just read that off the SPD and increase the voltage automatically. Especially considering this is/was a Gaming board.

The BIOS is currently set to read the SPD for the timings and the CPU is not overclocked at all.

Mobo: EVGA 122-CK-NF68

BIOS: P33 - CPU-Z shows the date as 9/4/2008

Memory: 2 x BL25664AA80A.16FE5

Thanks,

Dan