Cherry switch noise

Hi

I'm looking at getting a new keyboard to replace an MS wireless 2000 and im thinking about a mechanical keyboard. I play games casually so looking at a decent all round keyboard & am considering a corsair k70 with brown switches so my Q is, how loud are they compared to membrane keyboards or would I be better off with another standard membrane joby? I really dont want loud keys/clicking.

There are a fair few videos on youtube showing the differences.

Mechanicals tend to be fairly noisey - IIRC blues and browns tend to be quite "clacky" compared to reds and blacks - reds are another good all around option if you do a bit of gaming though browns better if you type a lot.

You might be better off with membrane if its going to bother you (or someone else).

Yes I would prefer it to be quiet'ish certainly not too much louder than this microsoft one. Like I say I'm looking for a good all round, a bit of gaming, a bit of typing.

I've owned a few red switch boards, they are pretty audible in use. The ozone strike pro I had I ended up fitting o rings below each key. In a side by side test compared to my corsair k70 with un modded keys, the one with the o rings was a good bit quieter.

I went for reds. Great for gaming. I type on a membrane at work all day so struggle a little typing on reds, but they're great when getting used to them, very light and comfortable.

Noise is a lot less than most other switches, as there is no discernible click when it hits the actuation point. The loudest bit is the cap hitting the casing. You can often get little rubber dampening things to stop this though if noise is a problem.

I use the Brown K95 RGB and they can be slightly loud normally, not as much as blues however. Most the noise happens if you bottom out the keys. However you can grab some o-rings and throw them under the key which cuts the noise down quiet a bit, but it will still not be as quiet as a membrane keyboard.

So are Brown or Reds quietest?

I have been looking into getting a mechanical and found this while looking at the different types of switches.

http://www.keyboardco.com/blog/index.php/2012/12/an-introduction-to-cherry-mx-mechanical-switches/

You may find it helpfull, for gaming I would go for red.

red for gaming, brown for gaming/typing & both sound about the same? Slightly louder than a membrane?

That's generally what people find, but personal preference plays a large role and plenty of people have 0 issued typing with red and others have 0 issues gaming with brown. Usually a good idea to try a sampler device if at all possible.

Reds a a notch quieter then brown as the point of actuation on the brown make some additional noise, both make more noise then membrane boards.

I've got blue switches in my keyboard and they can certainly be a bit loud. It took a while for everyone in the house to get used to the noise that they make. If you want a quiet keyboard I certainly wouldn't recommend them but they are very good for long typing sessions and once you get used to them you can type pretty fast with good accuracy as well. They seem to work OK for gaming as well but I don't often play fast paced FPS games so your mileage may vary if you do play those games.

Red v brown for gaming I think comes down to the type of person a bit - reds are good for people who have a very dynamic/reactive play style whereas browns probably suit people with a more deliberate play style.

I spend a lot of time typing on blacks these days (really couldn't recommend getting used to typing on blacks though heh) the newer blacks seem relatively quiet even compared to the older ones but still a long way from membrane for noise levels - going back to trying to play FPS games on anything else - even reds - is horrid though after a couple of years or so of blacks.

sorry man im getting confused here, so these cherry keyboards, theres 4 types from looking at that link, but whats the difference, and if they are loud and noisy whats the point of getting them?

and all the really nice corsair keyboards have these keys, can u swapp or do they come with spare keys for more quiet sessions?

Check out the Romer-G mechanical switches from Logitech. They are said to be a tad quieter. Cherry MX Silent are supposed to be good also, and with the Cherry switches you can add rubber o-rings to give a bit of extra dampening.

hobib_ali said:

sorry man im getting confused here, so these cherry keyboards, theres 4 types from looking at that link, but whats the difference, and if they are loud and noisy whats the point of getting them?

and all the really nice corsair keyboards have these keys, can u swapp or do they come with spare keys for more quiet sessions?

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The point is feel, noise irrelevant. Blue / brown are more like standard keyboards with a midway 'bump'. Red / black have no bump, plunger-like. Black/blue tiny bit harder to press than brown/red.

You can't swap the switches, only the caps, which have no impact on noise.

You can install o-rings to quiet it down a bit, but still gonna be a bit noisy.

If you're looking for quiet keyboard, look away from mechanical, whatever they are. Blue noisier than the other, by design.

Quiet would be low profile, Apple/K800 types, sometimes not suitable for gaming (key ghosting). There are some low profile, gaming keyboards. Usually membrane-type, cheap.

It depends whether you type properly, or you bottom out the keys. The whole point of browns is they have a tactile bump at the actuation point which enables you to type without bottoming out. I cant type like that however so for me all mech kbs are loud as the keys bottom out. Although the rubber rings do help they also change the feel of the kb and I am not sure if I like it or not.

Main reason I went for the browns is the actuation force is in the middle of the reds and blacks and is just perfect for me.

I have a brown keyboard and it is definitely noisier than a membrane board. If you want quiet then don't Corsair do a Strafe silent? I have a Strafe brown and there is a definite 'clacking' sound from the keys.

So are there any decent membrane keyboards out there?

Jayman said:

So are there any decent membrane keyboards out there?

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Loads. Logitech G15-19 the TT knucker range, all the CM hybrid ones. You also have optical keyboards.

Jayman said:

So are there any decent membrane keyboards out there?

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If I was buying again I'd go for another Logitech Illuminated Keyboard, which has very flat keys, but but more travel and far more premium than most laptop keyboards and they haven't given me even a hint of RSI over the 7-8 years I've had it, which is something I fear from my K70.

I really haven't got used to my K70 (browns) yet and it is quite a bit noisier (o-rings are making next-to no difference), especially as I haven't got used to depressing the keys only enough for the actuation, so I'm still bottoming out which is where most of the noise is coming from.

I've got a Illuminated Keyboard at work and I'm going to bring it home tonight for the half term. I might take my K70 in to work where I do more typing to try to get used to it as we really don't get on.

For only casual gaming I wouldn't go near a Cherry MX and I regret my purchase as there was nothing wrong my LIK so I just wasted £99. I should have returned it. If you do feel tempted certainly see if you can try one before you buy it.