aligned with the switch response, but it’s
generally close enough to be considered
the same.
This pre-travel range can be as low as
1mm and go up to 2.2mm, with the longer
press generally used with tactile and clicky
switches preferred by typists, and the
shorter distances use in linear switches
preferred by gamers.
Another consideration is the total travel
distance, which is how far the plunger
goes before it hits the bottom of the key.
Generally, this is a much shorter range of
3.7-4mm, although it can be as short as
3.2mm for low-profile mechanical switches.
This has much less of an effect on the overall
feel of a key, but a longer travel distance
does allow for a greater chance of not
bottoming out the key and then smacking
into the bottom of the board, increasing
finger strain and noise.
Switch types compared
We’ve touched on the overarching
differences between different switch types,
but how do they actually compare? We
grabbed a handful of the latest options for
our group test, along with some cheaper
rubber dome membrane keyboards, to see
how each type performed in terms of typing
speed, accuracy, overall feel and noise levels.
As well as all the keyboards featured
in our group test, we also grabbed an HP
K2500 (£18 inc VAT) membrane keyboard to
represent standard cheap keyboards, along
with a Microsoft Bluetooth keyboard (£40
inc VAT) to demonstrate a slightly pricier
and low-profile, scissor switch membrane
keyboard. Of the keyboards in our group test,
five use a linear switch (showing the clear
preference for this switch type for gaming
brands), two use a tactile switch and one has
a clicky switch.
Starting with a typing speed test, I quickly
established that I was simply not a fast
enough typist to really strain most of these
keyboards. At best I could hit up to 300
characters per minute (CPM) or around
70 words per minute (WPM), with scores
generally varying between around 260CPM
and 310CPM, depending on my ability in
the moment.
However, my testing did reveal some
definite trends. The only consistently
troublesome mechanical keyboard in terms
of accuracy was the low-profile Logitech
G915 TKL. Its wide, flat, less distinct keys and
slightly stiff key action felt like it slowed medown a little and resulted in more mistakes,
and sure enough, it was the lowest scoring
of the mechanical keyboards tested in terms
of speed and accuracy.
Conversely, the cheap HP rubber dome
keyboard put in impressive numbers, slightly
outclassing the G915 for words per minute
and accuracy. Experience shows that it won’t
maintain this level of responsiveness for
long, but a cheap keyboard can get the job
done when it’s fresh out of the box.
However, the slightly more expensive,
but very low-profile, Microsoft Bluetooth
keyboard was by far the worst tested.
This was mainly due to the very flat keys
and mushy key feeling, which made it
difficult to discern one key from another
at speed, making for more mistakes and a
slower pace.
As for noise, it was no surprise that the
clicky switches of the Razer BlackWidow V3
were far and away the loudest. At 70.3dB,
measured from a distance of 20cm, it was
nearly 6dB louder than the next loudest
board (the Cooler Master). Meanwhile, the
Ducky Shine 7 with its tactile Cherry MX
brown switches was comparatively quiet
at just 61.5dB, while most of the rest of the
keyboards with linear switches hit between
62dB and 64dB.
Showing just why some people like them,
though, was the whisper-quiet performance
of the two rubber dome keyboards. The HP
hit just 60.2dB and the Microsoft Bluetooth
keyboard hit just 55.7dB.
In terms of overall feel for both typing
and gaming, the speed and smoothness of
linear mechanical switches is definitely good
for gaming, where you want as frictionless
an experience possible between moving
your fingers and responses happening on
the screen.
However, for typing, a little bit of tactile
feedback really helps. The noise from
Razer’s clicky switches went a touch too far
here for our liking (and anyone in the same
room as you won’t thank you either), but
that’s also a matter of taste.
As a general happy medium, we’ve
come to prefer the Cherry MX Brown style
of tactile switch for a general-purpose
keyboard. They provide a good compromise
between the speed of response and
quietness of a linear switch, and the more
direct feedback and forgiving feel of a
clicky switch.KEYBOARD MODEL SWITCH TYPE PER CENTACCURACY NOISE DB
Microsoft Bluetooth Scissor rubber dome 87 55.7HP K2500 Wireless Rubber dome 93 60.2
Cooler Master CK550 V2 Cooler Master Red (linear) 97 64.8
Corsair K100 RGB Corsair OPX (optical linear) 96 63.1Ducky Shine 7 RGB Cherry MX Brown (tactile) 94 61.5
Filco Majestouch-2 Cherry MX Silent Red (linear silent) 96 56.3Logitech G915 TKL Logitech GL Low-Profile (tactile) 92 59.3
Logiteh G Pro X Logitech GX (linear) 96 62.5Razer BlackWidow V3 Razer Green (clicky) 95 70.3
SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL SteelSeries OmniPoint (linear) 96 63.6Keyboard typing tests
HEAVIERFORCE SWITCHES ARE PREFERRED FOR TYPING, AS
THEY’RE MORE FORGIVING OF SLIGHT FINGERPLACEMENT
MISTAKES WHEN YOU’RE QUICKLY BASHING OUT WORDS