BY CHRISTIAN GUYTONWhich type of keyboard is best? Mechanical keyboards have been around for longer, but
were supplanted by keyboards with softer, quieter membrane keys. Some gamers swear by
the clickety-clack of mechanical setups, while others favor the new kid on the block, optical
keyboards, which use light rather than physical metal contact filaments. We’re going to try
to put this issue to bed, but we fear that even the Maximum PC team might remain divided....Membrane vs. Mechanical
vs. Optical Keyboards
Precision
Anyone who tries to convince you
that membrane keyboards offer the
best sensitivity and performance is
wrong. Just wrong. Membrane keys
do have advantages, but the precision
of a mechanical key switch is simply
superior. Cheaper membrane decks
tend to have issues with key rollover,
where rapid key presses fail to
register separately, and many people
find membrane keys feel spongy.
Some mechanical keyboards offer
adjustable key actuation—the point
to which a key must be depressed to
register any input—and certain high-
end units may even have keys with
analog switches capable of registering
variable inputs. Customization is often
king when it comes to mechanical
keyboards, with gimmicks such as
swappable key switches (commonly
Cherry’s color-coded MX switches).
Mechanical and optical keyboards
are great for registering rapid
simultaneous inputs—ideal for gamers
and speedy typists. Mechanical keys
vary significantly when it comes to
input response, with more expensive
keyboards typically having less delay,
but optical key switches register input
at the speed of light, making optical
keyboards the most precise of all.Winner: OpticalValue
Straight out of the gate, optical
keyboards stumble. Using a combo
of sturdy mechanical keys and
lightbeam-based switches results in
a costly manufacturing process, and
optical keyboards tend to be expensive.
Membrane keyboards are almost
unilaterally the cheapest option. Many
business environments have made the
shift to membrane keyboards, usually
due to price and quietness. Generally,
a multipurpose membrane keyboard is
cheaper than a mechanical model with
the same features, primarily due to the
lower cost of the materials. Membrane
key tech has effectively reached its
apex, too, so industry efforts can be
focused on making the production
process more affordable.
Mechanical models sit somewhere
in the middle. While the base
technology behind mechanical key
switches has been around for years,
modern mechanical keyboards use
delicate, expensive components in
their key switches, and the tech is still
being refined and improved. That’s not
to say that mechanical keyboards can’t
be affordable, but budget-friendly ones
tend to be lower quality or feature-light
compared to membrane keyboards of
the same price. A clear winner, then.Winner: MembraneFeedback
Physical typing feedback can be crucial
when deciding what keyboard to buy. If
you don’t like how using it feels, you’re
not going to want to type on it every day.
This is tricky for us to judge; this very
writer prefers a flat, quiet membrane
keyboard for office work, but craves
chunky mechanical keys for gaming.
Personal preference is a major factor.
Mechanical keyboards can have a
variety of key press responses, from
smooth Cherry MX Red switches to
the more tactile MX Greens, which
have an audible click and require
more force to press. Optical keyboards
use fixed LEDs and light sensors, so
the actuation point usually can’t be
adjusted and key press sensation is
more in control of the manufacturer.
Membrane keyboards, on the other
hand, tend to have less key travel and
a more squishy typing sensation, as
the base of each key presses against the
flexible membrane below to close an
electrical circuit. The membrane isn’t
as solid as the springs in mechanical
and optical keyboards, but some users
prefer that; for us, though, a sturdy
mechanical key is more satisfying. You
know when you’ve accidentally hit a
key on a mechanical keyboard, which
is why they get the win.Winner: MechanicalROUND 1 ROUND 2 ROUND 3
quickstart
18 MAXIMUM PC MAY 2020 maximumpc.com