Crucial Anniversary [B]is[B] just ordinary PC5300 Ballistix in a blue Heatspreader

[wja96]

As a result of trying to get an RMA out of Crucial and Overclockers for my Crucial 10th Anniversary RAM, both OcUK and Crucial are now stating in writing that Crucial 10th Anniversary RAM is definitely just ordinary PC5300 Ballistix RAM in a blue heatspreader.

Overclockers justify the phrase handpicked by saying that all Ballistix RAM is hand-picked.

Originally Posted by Scott Bentley from OcUK

Dear Mr Anderson,

There appears to be some confusion relating to this returns issue. Crucial is the trading name for Micron semiconductors, the best chips from each batch are hand picked for use in the Crucial flagship product Ballistix. Micron provide RAM chips for many manufacturers including Cell Shock, OCZ, Mushkin etc but retain the best for themselves. Therefore all Ballistix RAM can be classed as hand picked.

In my opinion there is no such thing as ordinary Ballistix, it is widely regarded as the best RAM on the market, we cannot provide you with any 667Mhz DDR2 with better performance. The difference between the anniversary edition and the standard Ballistix is purely cosmetic and the current batch of Micron chips is believed to be the best yet although it is not possible to prove it. At no point did we state that the anniversary edition was better than the standard Ballistix, it was only ever sold as a "special Commemorative version", in fact please see below for the full product description that was placed on our website:

"In recognition of Crucial's 10th anniversary, the company has released a special commemorative version of our DDR2 PC2-5300 module. This limited-edition 240-pin DIMM is premium Crucial memory encased in a blue and silver aluminum heat spreader featuring the 10th anniversary logo.
A dual inline memory module (DIMM) consists of a number of memory components (usually black) that are attached to a printed circuit board (usually green). 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.
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. Each 240-pin DIMM provides a 64-bit data path (72-bit for ECC or registered or Fully Buffered modules).
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.
The number of black components on a 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. 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.

- Part Number: TY2KIT12864AA663
- Module Size: 2GB kit (1GBx2)
- Package: Tenth Anniversary 240-pin DIMM
- Feature: DDR2 PC2-5300
- Configuration: 128Meg x 64
- DIMM Type: UNBUFFERED
- Error Checking: NON-ECC
- Speed: DDR2-667
- Voltage: 2.2V
- Memory Timings: 3-3-3-12
- Specs: DDR2 PC2-5300 • 3-3-3-12 • UNBUFFERED • NON-ECC • DDR2-667 • 2.2V • - 128Meg x 64"

As you can see we never claimed any performance increase for this version so the replacement offered by both ourselves and Crucial is like for like.

I hope this helps to resolve any confusion.

Regards,

Scott Bentley
Sales and Customer Service Manager
Overclockers UK

And it appears Trading Standards in Stoke on Trent agree;

Originally Posted by Scott Bentley from OcUK

Dear Mr Anderson,

Having consulted with our local authority Trading Standards advice officer we have been instructed to make a formal offer to you.

He advised that the Misrepresentation Act 1967 is a civil legislation and contains no criminal provisions, therefore any enforcement action would have to be undertaken by Trading Standards under the Trades Descriptions Act 1968 and it was his opinion was that he did "not think that the advert was misleading".

As the goods were faulty then you are entitled to a remedy under the Sale of Goods act which would be either a repair or a replacement of a similar specification. We were also advised that as the manufacturer suggested that the Ballistix PC5300 is in fact the same you would not have an arguement to suggest that this is not a suitable replacement other than the blue heatspreader. As the heatspreader is a purely cosmetic enchancement rather than technical one you may struggle to claim any compensation based on that.

Finally, despite being advised that "if he was supplied with the higher spec unit then this would go beyond what he could reasonably expect". My offer of a Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2 PC2-6400C4 800MHz Dual Channel Kit
(BL2KIT12864AA804) as a replacement still stands.

A signed copy of this offer will be sent via mail too, I await your response.

Regards,

Scott Bentley
Sales and Customer Service Manager
Overclockers UK

I personally feel extremely unhappy with Overclockers as I think they very much pushed this RAM as extreme overclocking RAM and I paid a hefty premium for it and all I got back from RMA was some PC5300 Ballistix. As you might expect, I am taking legal action - if any other 10th Anniversary customers would like to join me in this (at no cost or liability to yourself) please send me an e-mail on hexus@walteranderson.com.

And I can really apologise to the guy on the OcUK forums trying to get £90/2Gb for his Anniversaries as I suspect I may have just halved their value.

[Magnets]

That sucks!
I can't believe they would just change the heatsink colour and ramp up the price
That's kinda misleading.
But, it doesn't actually say anywhere that the Anniversary RAM is better, where did you hear it was better? the OcUK forums?

[wja96]

Originally Posted by Magnets

That sucks!
I can't believe they would just change the heatsink colour and ramp up the price
That's kinda misleading.
But, it doesn't actually say anywhere that the Anniversary RAM is better, where did you hear it was better? the OcUK forums?

I think it is and was misleading and yes, most of the information about them being cherry picked came from their forums.

[chuckskull]

There's a lot of semantics here, technically all RAM is the same, most being made in the same factories etc, by one of 3 or 4 major companies and then branded according to speed binning.

The anniversary RAM would have been made the same way and gone through exactly the same production methods, but it would of been the best speed bins. Which is why it overclocked so well.

[wja96]

Originally Posted by chuckskull

There's a lot of semantics here, technically all RAM is the same, most being made in the same factories etc, by one of 3 or 4 major companies and then branded according to speed binning.

The anniversary RAM would have been made the same way and gone through exactly the same production methods, but it would of been the best speed bins. Which is why it overclocked so well.

No, Crucial and OcUK are absolutely adamant that the Anniversary was pulled from the bog-standard PC5300 Ballistix material and it was that with blue heat-sinks. It was not speed-binned beyond PC5300. Of course, they weren't saying that at the time

[Clunk]

I think I may have missed the point here, but arent they offering to replace your PC2-5300 RAM, with PC2-6400 RAM?

The ballistix 6400 RAM is one of the very best PC2-6400 there is, so I would take them.

[IAmATeaf]

Originally Posted by Clunk

I think I may have missed the point here, but arent they offering to replace your PC2-5300 RAM, with PC2-6400 RAM?

The ballistix 6400 RAM is one of the very best PC2-6400 there is, so I would take them.

I think I too must have missed the point.

If that was all the info contained about the RAM when you purchased it then it's just a celebratory edition of their RAM. If the OCUK forums claimed it was special then that's the forums and has nothing to do with your actual purchase I would have thought.

Also I'm confused about what the OP hopes to get out of this? or is the main problem that with current RAM prices the OP doesn't feel that they are getting their monies worth with some normal Ballistixs replacement?

[chuckskull]

Originally Posted by wja96

No, Crucial and OcUK are absolutely adamant that the Anniversary was pulled from the bog-standard PC5300 Ballistix material and it was that with blue heat-sinks. It was not speed-binned beyond PC5300. Of course, they weren't saying that at the time

That's not what they said at the time. So they've lied at least once.

I don't think painting the same heatsink blue can account for all the modules being exceptionally good overclockers. I think you said your self they were capable of 1200mhz. Which is good for even the best PC8500, nevermind for PC5300.

The problem is, on paper they are the same part. So none of this really means anything when it comes to getting your replacement. I'd stick with the PC6400 tbh. Depends how far you want to push it.

[wja96]

The point is that they were advertised as "hand-picked for maximum overclockability" and they did 1200MHz so they were pretty special. Because they don't have any spares (they sold them all) it suits them to hand over ordinary PC5300 that was £50 cheaper at the time.

If Andy Gibson says they will do 1100MHz on the forums and 'BUY NOW' then that's also an advertisement.

Do I think it was genuinely special? YES!

Do I think they want to palm me off with some ordinary PC5300 as a replacement? Sadly yes to that too.

If I had wanted PC5300 or PC6400 Ballistix I would have paid less at the time.

What do I hope to gain? Publicise the fact that they were a little less than entirely straightforward and get myself some RAM that runs 1200MHz again.

[Clunk]

This reinforces what I said in another thread about buying Pc2-5300 RAM on the assumption that it will overclock well.

If that RAM was so great, why didnt they bin it higher, and then sell it at the same price as the PC2-5300 as an anniversary offer?

I'm not doubting that yours hit 1200Mhz, but at the end of the day, it is rated at 667Mhz.

Is Andy Gibson AKA Gibbo? The same one that was hilariously unveiled as a cheat and a liar when he pretended to be an Intel rep on the OCUK forums when they let everybody down at the release of C2D?

People should know better than to listen to him. Of course, this is all just my opinion

[wja96]

Originally Posted by Clunk

This reinforces what I said in another thread about buying Pc2-5300 RAM on the assumption that it will overclock well.

Agreed.

Originally Posted by Clunk

If that RAM was so great, why didnt they bin it higher, and then sell it at the same price as the PC2-5300 as an anniversary offer?

That's effectively what they did, but OcUK bought it all up and massively ramped up the price.

Originally Posted by Clunk

I'm not doubting that yours hit 1200Mhz, but at the end of the day, it is rated at 667Mhz.

One of the things that really distresses me was that I was one of the first to buy and I was busily publishing screenies of my RAM at 500MHz CAS 4, 620MHz CAS 5 etc. and basically hyping it up even more. I really regret that now.

Originally Posted by Clunk

Is Andy Gibson AKA Gibbo? The same one that was hilariously unveiled as a cheat and a liar when he pretended to be an Intel rep on the OCUK forums when they let everybody down at the release of C2D?

He is indeed Gibbo although I missed that thread. I suspect it's since been deleted sadly.

[Clunk]

The thread is still there, but they have deleted all the interesting posts.

However, there is still this one..look at the quote, says it all really.

Good luck getting your RAM sorted

[IAmATeaf]

Can sort of see what you're saying, 1200 is a hell of a speed to get from that RAM.

I have read that even the standard 5300 RAM will get to around 1000 ie the same sorts of speeds that the more expensive 8500 RAM gets to.

[Phil_P]

Playing devil's advocate for a moment, they were marketed and sold as "Crucial 10th Anniversary RAM". That kinda implies they are a limited edition collectors piece, hence the premium price. Now, if you've bought something that's limited edition and commands a premium price based on it's limited availability and then they offer to replace it with bulk standard stock (albeit very good stock), that doesn't seem right. But equally, if the limited edition stock has sold out and there will be no more, what are they to do?

Personally, I think your best bet may be to argue for credit/replacement to the same value you paid for your original memory if they are unable to replace like for like. If not, their offer of replacement with DDR2-800 Ballistic seems like a good offer to me. Maybe you could haggle for DDR2-1066 Ballistic?

What if you'd bought a highly collectible Ferrari of which only 100 were ever made, and they offered to replace it with a standard production model using the argument it goes just as fast and was built in the same factory by the same mechanics - is that right?

[twoblacklines]

if its just heatsinked normal ram why is it so much bother for them to replace like-for-like ?

ocuk are a joke, im currently suspended for a week without any email to say why, all because i quoted someone who was swearing

[wja96]

Originally Posted by Phil_P

Personally, I think your best bet may be to argue for credit/replacement to the same value you paid for your original memory if they are unable to replace like for like. If not, their offer of replacement with DDR2-800 Ballistic seems like a good offer to me. Maybe you could haggle for DDR2-1066 Ballistic?

Well, as it cost me £215 delivered, there is no way they are going to want to refund me, so I did indeed ask for PC8500 Ballistix, but they don't want to do that. So far it looks like 17 of us will be taking this forward although Stoke-on-Trent Trading Standards have asked me to wait until Tuesday before I give my solicitor instructions. We sent them some supplementary information and I'm waiting for their response.