Ballistix says its purpose is to enhance the overall PC gaming experience and deliver a performance edge to gamers and enthusiasts. It says it is the only major gaming brand of memory which is built and tested from start to finish as part of a major manufacturer.

The new Tactical Tracer RGB range offers these specifications:

• 16 RGB LEDs in 8 zones on each module
• Speeds up to 3000 MT/s
• Module densities up to 16GB, kit densities up to 64GB
• Three light bar options
• Monitor temperatures and control RGB LEDs with the Ballistix M.O.D. Utility software
• Limited lifetime warranty

• Included Ballistix-labelled light bar gives a diffused RGB look;
• Remove the light bar for maximum brightness; and
• 3D print a new light bar design for the ultimate customisation, with design templates available for download from Ballistix’ website.

“A lot of the members in our community love to personalise their gaming rigs and the new Tactical Tracer RGB DDR4 modules help achieve just the style they are looking for,” said Jim Jardine, director of DRAM Product Marketing. “Having an RGB module with a removable light bar that enables you to custom-make your own system gives system builders the best options for customisation and personalisation.”

The M.O.D. Utility mentioned above is a free download from Ballistix, letting gamers monitor RAM temperatures in real time, and adjust the RAM’s colour scheme and brightness. It also allows PC models to sync their RAM lighting with other components in their RIG.

The RAM is available from crucial.com and various partners.

iTWire tested out some Ballistix Tactical Tracer RAM and found it very striking in our test system, as pictured. Using the M.O.D. Utility we could easily set up a light pattern with breathing effects and other styles.

Before starting, though, it was important to ensure the motherboard supported DDR4 RAM. Along with Windows’ task manager, iTWire used two very useful free utilities – CPU-Z and BelArc Advisor. Both of these give detailed hardware specs, including your current RAM type and timing (CPU-Z) and motherboard model and RAM slots (BelArc Advisor.) It is our recommendation you do the same both before and after replacing your RAM to test and confirm all is as you expect.

Installing the RAM itself is a snap, but as always, be sure to turn your computer off, remove power and discharge any static electricity from yourself before touching either the RAM or the internals of your computer. Remove the case, remove any old RAM, and insert the new RAM, being careful to evenly place pressure and checking it has locked in place at both the top and bottom.

The RAM performed admirably, games running well along with demanding business applications like VMware and SQL Server.

Actually measuring your performance improvement when we’re talking sub-millisecond read and writes is difficult. However, professional gamers can tell, Ballistix advised iTWire. “You can feel the difference,” a spokesperson stated. “Latency matters in competitive gaming and everything you do to improve responsiveness increases your performance.”

First-timer building a PC or looking for tips? Ballistix gives its top 10 tips here.