I always like getting new hardware in for testing.  There's something about the endless possibilities that gets to me.  Maybe I just like tinkering with new stuff too much, I don't know.  Crucial obliged my needs this time by sending over their latest and greatest, the Ballistix Tracer PC2-8500.  The sticks come with a sleek black heatspreader on a nice black PCB.  They sure look mean, but will they perform?  Plus anytime you get memory from Crucial there's always a chance of getting some really nice performing Micron memory chips.  Let's put these in the test rig and fire her up.

Crucial Ballistix Tracer PC2-8500 Features

• Module Size: 2GB kit (1GBx2)
• Package: Ballistix Tracer 240-pin DIMM (with LEDs)
• Feature: DDR2 PC2-8500
• Configuration: 128Meg x 64
• DIMM Type: UNBUFFERED
• Error Checking: NON-ECC
• Speed: DDR2-1066
• Voltage: 2.2V
• Memory Timings: 5-5-5-15

     Crucial Ballistix Tracer high-performance memory features a black printed circuit board (PCB), black integrated heat spreaders, two rows of activity-indicating light-emitting diodes (LEDs), and ground-effects LEDs. Two rows of eight chasing red and green LEDs atop the module circulate at varying speeds proportional to usage. A custom-designed circuit relays bus activity to the LEDs, allowing them to accurately reflect usage of each memory module by the rate of change of the LED indicators. In addition, eight blue ground-effects LEDs emit a constant glow near the pins.

Crucial Ballistix Tracer memory comes with the following:

- Aluminum heat spreader with silk-screened logo

- Limited lifetime warranty

- Free shipping on qualified orders within the contiguous U.S.