Crucial

Crucial BLS2KIT8G3D1609DS1S00 Ballistix 16GB DDR3 1600 Memory

Dual-channel DDR3-1600 at CL9 latency gives aging platforms a bandwidth floor that keeps multi-core CPUs fed without starving the memory bus.

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Overview

The Crucial Ballistix BLS2KIT8G3D1609DS1S00 is a 16GB dual-channel DDR3 kit built around two 8GB 240-pin UDIMM modules rated at 1600 MT/s with CL9-9-9-24 primary timings at 1.5V. For DDR3 platforms, 1600 MT/s represents the performance sweet spot: it's the highest natively-supported speed on most Intel Sandy/Ivy/Haswell boards and AMD AM3+ platforms without requiring aggressive overclocking. The certified Intel XMP 1.3 profile means one BIOS toggle takes the kit from JEDEC-default 1333 MT/s to its rated 1600 MT/s configuration without manual intervention.

This kit is the right choice for anyone maintaining or refreshing a DDR3 desktop — upgrading from 4GB or 8GB on a still-capable i5/i7 Haswell system, or populating all slots on an AM3+ board to maximize dual-channel bandwidth. The 2 x 8GB configuration ensures dual-channel operation in standard two-DIMM setups, extracting the full 128-bit bus width of the platform. It is not a performance product for new builds — DDR4 and DDR5 have long superseded it — but as a legacy platform upgrade, it hits the required compatibility, capacity, and stability marks without overcomplicating the selection process.

Key Features

Improved performance for gamers, enthusiasts and mainstream users

Integrated aluminum heat spreader

Certified intel XMP profiles for easy configuration

Premium-quality ram

Specifications

Capacity
16GB (2 x 8GB)
Memory Type
DDR3 UDIMM
Speed
1600 MT/s (PC3-12800)
CAS Latency
CL9 (9-9-9-24)
Voltage
1.5V
Form Factor
240-Pin UDIMM
XMP Support
Intel XMP Certified
Model
BLS2KIT8G3D1609DS1S00

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Frequently Asked Questions

This is DDR3 UDIMM in 240-pin form factor, rated at 1600 MT/s (PC3-12800). It is compatible with desktop platforms using DDR3 slots — primarily Intel Sandy Bridge, Ivy Bridge, and Haswell platforms, along with AMD AM3/AM3+ boards. It is not compatible with DDR4 slots; verify your motherboard's supported memory standard before purchasing.
Yes — it carries certified Intel XMP profiles. In practice, this means you enable XMP in the BIOS and the kit automatically loads its rated 1600 MT/s / CL9 timings without manual sub-timing configuration. On boards without XMP, it will default to JEDEC standard speeds (typically 1333 MT/s) until you enable the profile manually.
The rated timings are CL9 (9-9-9-24) at 1.5V. These are standard DDR3-1600 timings — not particularly tight, but stable and widely compatible across the DDR3 platform range. For maximum bandwidth extraction on Intel platforms, tighter-timed kits (CL8 or CL7) exist, but the performance delta in real-world workloads is marginal.
Yes — dual-channel mode effectively doubles the memory bus bandwidth by activating two 64-bit channels simultaneously (128-bit effective width). For CPU-intensive workloads including gaming and video encoding, the bandwidth improvement over single-channel is measurable in benchmarks, and in some CPU-bound scenarios, tangibly faster in practice.
The heat spreader on this Ballistix kit is a low-profile design by DDR3 enthusiast standards. It should clear most tower CPU coolers without issue, though extremely large air coolers with overhanging heatsink bases on slot 1 may require physical clearance verification against your specific cooler's dimensions.