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One of the best ways you can drastically improve your PC gaming experience is by investing in a high-quality mechanical switch gaming keyboard. Mechanical switches in gaming keyboards offer far better response and feedback than contemporary membrane switches thanks to the way they’re designed.
While mechanical switch gaming keyboards won’t guarantee an increase in skill, they will make your experience far better as a gamer. Furthermore, many of the mechanical switches are designed to aid in the typing experience as well, which is ideal for gamers who spend a lot of their type on their PC for other activities as well.
Choosing The Best Mechanical Switches for Gaming Keyboards
Mechanical switch technology makes a significant difference in your typing and gaming experience. There are multiple types of mechanical switches out there. While Cherry dominates the industry with its Cherry MX lineup of mechanical switches, many companies have released their own proprietary switches that rival or even outright beat Cherry MX switches in certain aspects.
We have reviewed the best mechanical switches for gaming keyboards in this article and recommended a product that uses that switch. Mechanical switch technology can be a little confusing as it progressed plenty in recent times. Mostly, the debate is mostly around linear versus tactile. Linear mechanical switches have a smooth operation and are usually very quiet, while tactile ones have a distinct click that is associated with a form of resistance.
Regardless of which one you like, we’re sure you’ll find a product that suits your needs in this article. Let’s get started.
1. Cherry MX Red
- Type: Linear
- Feel: Light
- Actuation Force: 45g
- Travel Distance: 4mm
- Noise Level: Quiet
- Lifespan: 50 million keystrokes
Cherry MX switches were first released way back in 1983, so it’s pretty clear the guys designing and manufacturing these switches know what they’re doing. Cherry distinguishes each switch by its color, and the color is also the name of the switch.
The Cherry MX Red switches are perhaps the most popular of the lot. They have a linear behavior which goes well with most individuals coming from membrane keyboards. Furthermore, many first-person shooter players swear that linear switches work best for them.
Regardless of what your opinion about linear and tactile switches are, the Cherry MX Red is designed for fast-paced action games by providing almost no resistance to the force. There is no tactile bump during the actuation. This may make Cherry MX Red not the most ideal for typists who want the typewriter-esque tactile feedback, but for gaming, they certainly are a favorite for many.
There’s a reason Cherry MX switches are still regarded as the industry gold standard of high-quality mechanical switches for gaming keyboards. Their switches are the epitome of what a reliable keyboard switch should be like, particularly for gaming.
HyperX Alloy Elite
One of our favorite Cherry MX Red gaming keyboards is the HyperX Alloy Elite. This gaming keyboard is from Kingston’s HyperX line of gaming peripherals and PC components. The HyperX Elite has all the premium features you’d want, including RGB lighting. And of course, the Cherry MX Red make it a super-fast keyboard for gaming.
2. Logitech Romer-G Tactile
- Type: Tactile
- Feel: Light
- Actuation Force: 45g
- Travel Distance: 3mm
- Noise Level: Quiet
- Lifespan: 70 million keystrokes
Logitech relies on Cherry MX switches for most of its keyboards, but the company teamed up with prominent Japanese electronics manufacturer Omron to create the Romer-G. The Romer-G series of switches come in either Tactile or Linear, but we like the feel of the Tactile version more. This is because the tactile nature is very subtle. This keeps both types of gamers satisfied: the ones who like tactile feedback, and ones who like a smoother, faster actuation.
Logitech uses the Romer-G in its most advanced gaming keyboards. It was designed to overcome some of the glaring flaws of mainstream mechanical switches. As a result, it has a shallower actuation point of 1.5mm, which is 25% shorter than the 2mm actuation point on the Cherry MX switches.
This gives users a tactile feel but the speed of a linear switch, allowing for rapid-fast keystrokes. This is further assisted with the Romer-G’s shorter travel distance. The reset point of the Romer-G is also closely aligned with its actuation point so there’s no hysteresis.
Logitech G910 Orion Spark
The Logitech G910 Orion Spark is a high-end gaming keyboard that features Logitech’s Romer-G switches. Stylish, filled with RGB, and giving users plenty of advanced options, this mechanical keyboard is lightning fast yet still gives enough tactile feedback for the typists out there.
3. Razer Orange
- Type: Tactile
- Feel: Medium
- Actuation Force: 55g
- Travel Distance: 4mm
- Noise Level: Quiet
- Lifespan: 80 million keystrokes
These switches by Razer, which are sold under the proprietary name of Razer Orange, are keys that are being sold in the best gaming keyboards by the company like the Razer BlackWidow Chroma V2. These keys have a higher actuation force, which means that you cannot accidentally press a key just by placing your fingers over it. You will need to push it big to be able to get feedback from the switch.
It has a great lifespan of 80 million keystrokes, which is 30 million over the number of keystrokes offered by the famous Cherry MX switches. Designed for gaming, the Razer Orange is for those who like to feel the bump when pressing the key but adore the silence to be able to focus better on the game itself.
The Razer orange is accompanied by Razer Green and Yellow, both of which are great gaming switches installed in the company’s keyboards, they all have a great life span and target different audiences.
Razer BlackWidow TE V2 TKL
The Razer BlackWidow Tournament Edition V2 Tenkeyless mechanical keyboard uses proprietary Razer switches. The switches are said to be one of the best with an 80-million click life. That is going to last you a very long time indeed. The wrist/palm rest on the keyboard is very soft and comfortable which helps in resisting fatigue build-up during longer sessions. There is that beautiful RGB lighting that is undeniably one of the best in the market.
4. SteelSeries QS1
- Type: Linear
- Feel: Light
- Actuation Force: 45g
- Travel Distance: 3mm
- Noise Level: Quiet
- Lifespan: 60 million keystrokes
Like Logitech, gaming peripheral giant SteelSeries mostly uses Cherry MX switches in its gaming keyboards. However, they paired up with Kaihua to develop what they claim is the fastest switch possible.
The result was the QS1 switch. This switch is lightning fast and extremely quiet. From a design and conceptual standpoint, it is very similar to the Logitech Romer-G switches. It uses a shallow actuation point of 1.5mm and a low total travel distance of 3mm for a fast-paced key register. The rebound is lightning fast once the key bottoms out and spamming with this keyboard is extremely easy.
This makes the SteelSeries QS1 switches and associated gaming keyboards viable for fast-paced games that require a lot of key inputs.
SteelSeries Apex M800 RGB
The SteelSeries Apex M800 gaming keyboard comes with the company’s QS1 mechanical switches. SteelSeries claims it is the fastest mechanical keyboard on the market thanks to the QS1’s performance. The keyboard has everything you’ll need from a gaming keyboard, including all the RGB goodness 16.8 million colors can offer.
5. Roccat Titan
- Type: Tactile
- Feel: Heavy
- Actuation Force: N/A
- Travel Distance: 6mm
- Noise Level: Quiet
- Lifespan: 50 million keystrokes
Roccat has made some amazing gaming peripherals over the years for PC gamers, but they’re still fairly new when it comes to proprietary mechanical hardware, specifically switches for keyboards. Yet, they’ve still managed to create the highly impressive Roccat Titan mechanical switch.
This is the kind of switch you want if you covet the tactile feedback but loathe the excessive noise. Despite a heavy feel and tactile nature, the Titan switches succeed in being whisper quiet. The Titan greatly reduces switch bouncing and can register keystrokes rapidly, all thanks to the high-quality components.
To compensate for the heavy feel of the switch itself, Roccat adds in lightweight and thin keycaps, which we’re a fan of. This also reduces the weight and the required amount of actuator force to push the key.
Roccat Vulcan 100
The Roccat Vulcan 100 is one of our favorite keyboards. The aluminum top plate combined with the lightweight and super-sexy switches makes it seem like a work of art. But the Vulcan 100 backs that with fantastic performance thanks to its tactile Titan switches and lightweight keycaps.
6. Bloody LK Libra Orange
- Type: Tactile
- Feel: Medium
- Actuation Force: 45g
- Travel Distance: 5mm
- Noise Level: Noisy
- Lifespan: 100 million keystrokes
Bloody uses a very different approach with their mechanical switches. Instead of conventional mechanical switch technology, the company uses optical switches to detect a keystroke when a laser under the switch is disrupted. The LK Libra Orange is Bloody’s most durable and best switch. This keyboard switch has a rated lifespan that is literally double that of the Cherry MX switches, making it the most durable keyboard switch in the market right now.
Even though the LK Libra Brown is tactile and loud, its operation and force curve is quite different from other mechanical switches. This is because the LK Libra Brown switch doesn’t rely on a two-piece housing to produce the click. Instead, the tactile mechanism and actuation system are completely separate. This causes no tangible delay or hysteresis in the operation. Furthermore, to prevent wobbling, Bloody uses a dedicated stabilizing bar in each switch. The Bloody LK Libra Orange is a fantastic alternative to the Cherry MX Blue thanks to its lighter feel, faster operation, and much longer lifespan.
Bloody B975 Light Strike
The Bloody B975 Light Strike uses the LK Libra Orange mechanical switches for rapid response. It has fully programmable RGB LED lighting and offers a stylish yet ergonomic design with its distinct palm rest.