Introduction

We're back looking at TUF Gaming Alliance memory, this time with a solution from Ballistix. The Ballistix Sport AT Gaming DDR4 (TUF Edition) is a set of DDR4 memory specifically designed for ASUS TUF motherboards on all platforms, but this kit has a slight twist to it. With an XMP-rated speed of 3000 MHz, this non-standard kit not only adds in additional memory performance, it also pushes up the clocks of your CPU thanks to a small boost to the BCLK on Intel systems. This is due to current platforms not natively supporting the 3000 MHz divider, thus leading to a slight increase in that BCLK speed with the 2933 MHz divider to get that 3000 MHz. That results in a boost to 102.3 MHz, and for locked Intel CPUs perhaps a 100 MHz boost to your clock speed by changing just one option in the BIOS!

With the Ballistix Sport Gaming DDR4 being specifically tuned for ASUS TUF motherboards, you are guaranteed compatibility between the two and get a patterned heatspreader design that matches the ASUS TUF motherboard look; a perfect match for ASUS TUF motherboards, these sticks also have no LEDs!

Ballistix doesn't always give us the utmost in memory performance products, but they do give us some damn nice memory with an awesome warranty and a unique RMA service a lot of companies would do well to model their own customer service after. The long-standing reliability and reputation see their products hit big-box stores like Best Buy and Walmart, so you know they have the ability to supply a huge demand and aren't some small parts maker with limited reach; Ballistix really takes it global, and that in a big part because they are the only brand that actually makes memory chips, not just assembled sticks. That means from the moment that memory is first birthed from silicon to the time it's actually quality tested as an assembled stick, it's all within their control, so what you can expect from Ballistix really is different than from everyone else. So, do these Sport AT sticks live up to that reputation? Let's take a look!

Specifications

Packaging

The box the Ballistix Sport AT Gaming DDR4 sticks come in is fairly standard for Ballistix enthusiast memory; a clear plastic clamshell with the product category on the outside. I really like how this packaging lets you peer inside and see what you are buying easily.


Inside the clamshell, the sticks are contained in trays; two trays for this 32 GB kit. I'd love to get an 8-stick kit to see how THAT box looks, let me tell you. I missed finding a case badge here? One of my favorite things... not here? Darn. But who cares? Look at these sticks!