One of the advancements brought forth by DDR4 is support for higher density memory modules of up to 128GB. While those extra-large modules aren't available yet, there has been a trickle down effect whereby smaller 16GB modules are now widely available, relatively inexpensive, and compatible on consumer-oriented motherboards. That last part is important, because while there have been 16GB DDR3 modules as well, the absolute size limit for that technology, they are all Registered ECC variants intended for servers or workstations.

Considering the fact that one of the standout features of the Skylake platform is support for up to 64GB (4x16GB) of system memory - Haswell & Broadwell were limited to 32GB - we thought it was time to test out a larger yet still relatively affordable memory kit. Looking back in time, when the Haswell-E LGA2011-3 platform launched we had the opportunity to review a quad-channel 32GB DDR4-2133 memory kit from Crucial. Not only was it the cheapest 32GB kit available at the time - a mere $420 USD / $450 CAD - but it overclocked pretty well considering its low default frequency.

With this in mind, we decided to test out Crucial's new CT2K16G4DFD8213 model, which is a dual-channel 32GB memory kit that features two 16GB modules clocked at DDR4-2133 with 15-15-15-36 timings at a low 1.20V. Despite these sleepy JEDEC-following specs, this model retails for about $200 USD / $275 CAD, which is actually higher than quite a few factory overclocked 32GB memory kits that are currently available. While Crucial's renowned lifetime warranty is obviously a selling point, since it is a feature that they pioneered, it has also become a norm among all popular RAM manufacturers.