Introduction
DDR2 RAM is pressing forward with each passing day. Prices have nearly become half since early this year, when DDR2 RAM was being introduced into the market, while performance and capabilities began to far exceed the capabilities of current motherboards and CPUs. It seems ages ago that RAM manufacturers barely kept up with motherboard capabilities, now high performance modules far exceed the capabilities of any system. Crucial is a RAM manufacturer which has a very high performance DDR2 module among their ranks, the Ballistix line. They also probably have the best value and most future proof DDR2 kit for the moment, the BL2KIT12864AA664 kit, which consists of two 1GB Ballistix PC2-5300 modules. 2GB of RAM should be enough to last for years to come for most people and the performance is supposed to be enough for many generations of CPUs to come. We will see if those claims withstand in this review.

A few words about Crucial first. Crucial is a division of Micron Technology INC, a DRAM manufacturer. Micron launched Crucial during 1996 in order to offer their products directly to the user at competitive prices. The years that followed Crucial grew, launching Crucial Europe (1999) and offering their customers more products than DRAM modules such as graphic cards, flash cards and USB flash drives. The strongest advantage of Crucial Technology is that they offer guaranteed compatibility with superior modules and direct support from the manufacturer.

Module Specifications:
 
Module Size: 2GB kit (1GB x 2)
Package: Ballistix 240-pin DIMM
Feature: DDR2 PC2-5300
Configuration: 128Meg x 64
DIMM Type: UNBUFFERED
Error Checking: NON-ECC
Speed: DDR2-667
Voltage: 1.9V
Memory Timings: 4-4-4-10
 DDR2 PC2-5300
4-4-4-10
UNBUFFERED
NON-ECC
DDR2-667
1.9V
128Meg x 64
 
Description of the modules by the manufacturer:
A Ballistix dual inline memory module (DIMM) consists of a number of memory components that are attached to a black printed circuit board. The gold pins o­n the bottom of the DIMM provide a connection between the module and a socket o­n a larger printed circuit board. The pins o­n the front and back of a DIMM are not connected to each other.
 
Ballistix 240-pin DIMMs are used to provide DDR2 SDRAM memory for desktop computers. DDR2 is a leading-edge generation of memory with an improved architecture that allows it to transmit data very fast. Ballistix 240-pin DIMMs are available in DDR2 PC2-4200 (DDR2 533) SDRAM and DDR2 PC2-5300 (DDR2 667) SDRAM. 
 
To use DDR2 memory, your system motherboard must have 240-pin DIMM slots and a DDR2-enabled chipset. A DDR2 SDRAM DIMM will not fit into a standard SDRAM DIMM socket or a DDR DIMM socket. (Information about which memory technology your system uses is included in the Crucial Memory Advisor£¦#8482; tool.) 
 
The number of black components o­n a Ballistix 240-pin DIMM can vary, but it always has 120 pins o­n the front and 120 pins o­n the back, for a total of 240. Ballistix 240-pin DIMMs are approximately 5.25 inches long and 1.18 inches high, though the heights can vary. While 240-pin DDR2 DIMMs, 184-pin DDR DIMMs, and 168-pin DIMMs are approximately the same size, 240-pin DIMMs and 184-pin DIMMs have o­nly o­ne notch within the row of pins. The notch in a 240-pin DDR2 DIMM is closer toward the center of the module.