How Does CMIL (Crucial Memory Integrity Labs) Ensure Ballistix™ Products Meet Specifications?
A basic overview of CMIL's test methodology
What has CMIL done to make sure Ballistix products operate at the published speed ratings? Here's a brief overview of the Ballistix product line test process.
We test each individual component through rigorous procedures using advanced DRAM test equipment, and that's before we even put them on module! From there, each individual module undergoes various electrical and synthetic tests. Finally, 100% of our modules are tested on some of the latest motherboards and chipsets deemed capable of running at the rated specifications.
Keep in mind that many more boards and systems are fully compatible with Ballistix and will work just fine. If you are not sure, use our system selector or scanner to verify compatibility. Also be sure to
read about the nature of Ballistix.
Whereas the methodology may change over time, the following sections illustrate how we currently perform testing.
Ballistix DDR3
Module performance is verified by testing each Ballistix DDR3 DIMM in the motherboards shown in the table below. The modules are tested in pairs at the front side bus (FSB) speeds specified for each module type. In addition, the chipset, CPU, and BIOS revisions are listed for each motherboard setup.
Motherboard & processor information*
| Motherboard Type |
Chipset |
Processor |
BIOS Version |
DDR3-1333
BL2KIT12864BA1336
BL2KIT12864TA1336
BL2KIT25664BA1336
BL2KIT25664TA1336
BL12864BA1336
BL12864TA1336
BL25664BA1336
BL25664TA1336
|
DDR3-1600
BL2KIT12864BA1608
BL12864BA1608
Note: XMP SPD Profile for Intel Chipsets
|
DDR3-1600
BL2KIT12864BE1608
BL12864BE1608
Note: EPP SPD Profile for NVIDIA Chipsets
|
DDR3-2000
BL2KIT12864BE2009
BL12864BE2009
Note: EPP SPD Profile for NVIDIA Chipsets
|
| ASUS Maximus Extreme | X38 | C2 DUO 2.33GHz | 803 |
 |  | | |
| ASUS P5K3 Deluxe/WIFI | P35 | C2 1.86GHz | 810 |
 |  |  | |
| ASUS P5KC | P35/ICH9 | C2 1.86GHz | 701 |
 | | | |
| ASUS P5E3 Premium | x48 | C2 DUO 3.0GHz | 203 |
 |  |  | |
| ASUS P5Q3 Deluxe | x48 | C2Q 2.66GHz Q9450 | 1103 |
 |  |  | |
| ASUS Striker II extreme | 790i | C2Q 3.2GHz QX9770 | 402 |
 |  |  |  |
| EVGA 132-CK-NF79 | 790i | C2Q 2.5GHz Q9300 | 811N2P06 |
 |  |  |  |
| Gigabyte GA-P35T-DQ6 | P35 Express | C2 DUO 1.86GHz | F4 |
 |  |  | |
| Gigabyte GA-X38T-DQ6 | X38 Express | C2 DUO 3.0GHz | F2 |
 |  |  | |
| Intel DX38BT | X38 Express | C2 DUO 2.33GHz | 1510 |
 |  |  | |
| XFX MB-N790-IUL9 | 790i | C2Q 3.2GHz QX9770 | P01 |
 |  |  |  |
| MSI P45 DIAMOND | P45 | C2Q 2.66GHz Q9450 | V1.0 |
 | | | |
Ballistix DDR2
Module performance is verified by testing Ballistix DDR2 DIMMs in the motherboards shown in the table below. The modules are tested in pairs at the front side bus (FSB) speeds specified for each module type. In addition, the chipset, CPU, and BIOS revisions are listed for each motherboard setup.
Motherboard & processor information*
| Motherboard Type |
Chipset |
Processor |
BIOS Version |
DDR2-1066
BL2KIT12864AA106A BL2KIT12864AL106A BL12864AA106A BL12864AL106A
|
DDR2-800
BL2KIT12864AA80A BL2KIT12864AL80A BL2KIT25664AA80A BL2KIT25664AL80A BL2KIT25664AR80A BL12864AA80A
BL12864AL80A BL25664AA80A BL25664AL80A BL25664AR80A
|
| ABIT IX38 Quad GT | X 38 | C2 DUO 2.33GHz | 12 |  |  |
| ASUS M2N32 SLI | NFORCE590SLI | ATHLON 64 | 3200+ 0504 |  |  |
| ASUS M2N32 SLI | NFORCE590SLI | ATHLON 64 | 3500+ 0504 |  |  |
| ASUS M3A32-MVP DELUXE | 790FX | AM2+ 2.2GHz | 1102 | |  |
| ASUS MAXIMUS FORMULA | X38 | QUAD C2 2.4GHz | 1004 |  |  |
| ASUS P5B DELUXE | P965 | 3.0GHz | AMI 1216 |  |  |
| ASUS P5E | X38 | C2 DUO 2.33GHz | 0702 |  |  |
| ASUS P5E | X38 | QUAD C2 2.4GHz Q6600 | 0702 |  |  |
| ASUS P5K | P35 | C2 DUO 1.86GHz | 0603 |  |  |
| ASUS P5K | P35 | QUAD C2 2.4GHz Q6600 | 0603 |  |  |
| ASUS P5K WS | P35 | C2 DUO 1.86GHz | 0601 |  |  |
| ASUS P5K-SE | P35 | C2 DUO 1.86GHz | 0205 |  |  |
| ASUS P5WD2-PREMIUM | 955X | | 0422 | |  |
| ASUS STRIKER II FORMULA | 780i | C2 DUO 2.33GHz | 0902 |  |  |
| EVGA 122-CK NF68 | 680i | 3.0GHz | 3/9/07 P26 |  |  |
| EVGA 122-CK NF68 | 680i | C2 DUO 1.86GHz | 2/8/07 P25 |  |  |
| EVGA 650 | 650i | | 3/27/07 P01 |  |  |
| FOXCONN C51XEM2AA | NFORCE590SLI | AMD 64 3200+ | 5/24/06 P20 |  |  |
| FOXCONN C51XEM2AA | NFORCE590SLI | ATHLON 64 3500+ | 5/17/06 P19 |  |  |
| GIGABYTE GA-EX38 DQ6 | X38 | C2 DUO 2.33GHz | F1 |  |  |
| GIGABYTE GA-EX38 DS4 | X38 | C2 DUO 2.33GHz | F2 |  |  |
| GIGABYTE GA-EX38-DS4 | X38 | QUAD C2 Q6600 | F2 |  |  |
| GIGABYTE GA-P35 DS3R | P35 | C2 DUO 1.86GHz | F11 |  |  |
| GIGABYTE GA-P35 DQ6 | P35 | C2 DUO 1.86GHz | F7 |  |  |
| GIGABYTE X48 DQ6 | X48 | C2Q 2.4GHz Q6600 | F6 |  |  |
| GIGABYTE P35 DS3L | P35 | QUAD C2 2.4GHz | F7 |  |  |
| XFX-MB-N780-ISH9 | (780i) | C2 DUO 2.33GHz | 12/21/07 P02 |  |  |
| DFI LP DK P35-T2RS | P35 | QUAD C2 2.4GHz | 3/11/08 | |  |
| GIGABYTE GA-MA790FX-DS5 | 790FX | AM2+ 2.1GHz X3 | F5 | |  |
| MSI K9A2 PLATINUM | 790FX | AM2+ 2.2GHz QUAD | 1.3 | |  |
| MSI P6N SLI | 650i | | V1.5 101307 |  |  |
| ASUS P5KC | P35 | C2 DUO 1.86GHz | AMI 0701 | |  |
| ASUS M3A | 770 | AM2+ 2.2GHz | 1001 | |  |
| ASUS STRIKER EXTREME | 680i | C2 DUO 1.86GHz | 1503 |  |  |
| ASUS P5N32-E SLI | 680i | 3.0GHz | 0805 | |  |
| EVGA 112-CK-NF77-A1 | 630i | C2 DUO 2.33GHz | 11/26/07 | |  |
*At the time of product qualification these are the systems that were used to verify performance. As newer Motherboards/BIOS are released we may use them for our production testing.
** Additional cooling may be required
Don't forget ...
We put great effort into testing our Ballistix modules in the configurations detailed above, but keep in mind that some system configurations may not operate at the published Crucial Ballistix memory speed and timing settings. Actual performance may vary based on configuration, usage, and manufacturing variability. Overclocking, running your system faster than published speed, or otherwise modifying your system timing may result in damage to computer components. If you plan to operate your hardware outside of specifications, do so at your own risk.
Archived testing data