It would appear memory makers still have a few tricks up their sleeves before turning their attention to DDR5 RAM kits. Crucial announced the next generation of its Ballistix DDR4 RAM, and one of the memory lines will let you pluck the lightbar off and install your own, if you care to 3D print a custom design.
That option will be available on Crucial's upcoming Ballistix Max memory line. It's a flagship product with speeds ranging from 4,000MHz to 4,400MHz, in 8GB and 16GB "densities." I assume that means we will see 32GB and even higher capacity kits, though Crucial isn't revealing too many specifics just yet. It is more than willing to talk about the lighting, though.
"RGB options feature 8 zones with 16 LEDs, which can be customized and controlled with support from Asus Aura, Gigabyte RGB Fusion, and MSI Mystic Light software. A removable lightbar can be replaced with a 3D printed version for ultimate personalization," Crucial says.
I don't own a 3D printer so I won't attempt to speak for that crowd, and specifically whether this is something anyone wants. That said, Crucial is pitching these as top-shelf products, saying it "meticulously designed and engineered our new line to offer the high speeds, low latencies, and world-class performance every gamer, builder, and overclocker needs and expects."
That brings up the question, does RAM speed and capacity matter for gaming? The short answer is 'yes' and the longer answer sits in that link I just dropped.
Crucial is a division of Micron, so it should come as no surprise both the next-gen Ballistix and Ballistix Max kits are using Micron memory chips. Speeds on the non-Max Ballistix memory will range from 2,400MHz to 3,600MHz, in densities of 4GB to 32GB. Assuming Crucial is talking about single modules, we could see 64GB and even higher capacity options.
While those details will have to wait, Crucial offered up an interesting tidbit, saying its next-gen Ballistix memory will replace its Ballistix Sport, Tactical, and Elite products. I like this approach, as opposed to bombarding users with a bunch of different memory lines.
The new kits will be available on February 4. In the meantime, there's a countdown timer on Crucial's website, in case we were worried about missing the opportunity to 3D print lightbars the very second it becomes possible.
