A keyboard is a set of switches which control the movement of your cursor. These switches are the key that tells your computer what to do. They are the ultimate controller for your computer. The best keyboard switches for gaming are some of the most optimally designed switches around.
Of course, there’s a wide variety of keyboards available in the market today, and many people have seen multiple brands and models in one single store. But this is not what we’re going to focus upon right now;
There are so many types of keyboards on the market today. Most people will go with the cheapest keyboard they can find, but that doesn’t mean it is the best keyboard for gaming. The most important aspects of a keyboard are its switches, how they feel and flex, how well they are organized, and their shape.
Not all switches are created equally. It’s essential to look at what each switch does before buying a keyboard to make sure it will work for the type of gaming you play. Of course, no one keyboard fits every person perfectly, but some great players use various keyboards depending on their style and preference.
Understanding the Basic Parts of a Keyboard
What Are The Best keyboard Switches For Gaming::Key Switches Explained
There are six main categories of keyboard switches:
- Mechanical switches (also called linear).
- Membrane (also called rubber dome or rubber bump).
- Glass dome (also called rubber dome or ball).
- Laser (also called optical).
- Glass-fiber optical.
- Hybrid (which combines both).
Each has its unique applications, pros, and cons in different situations. Other more specialized types, such as electrostatic switches, use electricity to activate a switch, so you won’t have to worry about sticking your fingers into them when using the mouse or gamepad.
Mechanical Switches
Mechanical switches have an electrical connection between their actuation point and the element inside your computer’s key switches that cause them to actuate and transfer motion from your hands to the computer’s keys when pressed down by your fingertips.
They usually have extra springs that help keep them from making clicking sounds when pressed down by your fingertips while typing or moving on the keys when typing in specific applications like Windows Explorer or WordPad. They can be distinguished.
They generally feel smoother than other types of keyboards like rubber dome ones because they don’t leave any clicks after being pressed down by your fingertips while typing or moving on the keys.
They also don’t need lubrication, so you don’t need to clean them off after using them for long periods because you don’t need lubrication either because they move smoothly on their own without any additional lubricants required in normal usage with no immediate results needed afterward to clean off any residue left by those springs over time either without having to clean them off after prolonged usage which usually means long term wear and tear on mechanical keyboards’ key switches which isn’t ideal especially if you’re gaming in an intense situation or if you’re playing games that require frequent use all together like FPS games such as Counter-Strike: Global Offensive,
Cherry MX Mechanical Keyboard Switches
Cherry MX mechanical switches are the most common mechanical switches on the market. They are highly durable and well suited for both gaming and typing. When used in conjunction with the correct critical program, they can make a severe difference in how you feel while gaming and how you feel while typing.
The Cherry MX Silent profile uses completely silent essential travel that allows for quieter, smoother typers. They also feature an anti-ghosting feature to prevent repeated vital presses, which can be helpful, especially when playing online games. It is recommended that you keep your hands as still as possible when playing.
When it comes to typing, the MX Silent profile is ideal for light-duty gaming and typing, where an average of 10% more input per minute is expected (20% on average).
In contrast, MX Reds are recommended for fast-paced action games, where an average of 50% more input per minute is expected (80% on average). This can be used to write emails or blog posts, where a faster writing rate is desired (around 80% on average).
Key Switch Types Explained
The best keyboard switches for gaming are a real challenge to find. Shopping for them can be like shopping for a used car.
They don’t come cheap, and you may end up buying more than one type for your rig.
So what are the best keyboard switches for gaming?
The critical switch types that have been on the market for a long time are usually reliable and very tactile, which is what you want from most keyboards. The most popular key switch types have gotten used to so much that they’re almost universally available, but there is still room for improvement in this area.
- Some of the more popular key switch types are:
- Switches with “click” or “bump” feel
- Switches with smooth presses or “gritty” feel
- Switch types with unusual angles or designs (such as rubber bumpers)
- Diodes and inductors
Many of these switch types are often very expensive, making them more challenging to find than others. With this in mind, then it should be easy to see why many gamers (and PC enthusiasts in general) choose mechanical keyboards over their electro-mechanical counterparts like membrane keyboards and wireless systems (wired).
These combinations allow you to get a good typing experience at an affordable price while also having a fantastic mechanical layout and feel. Start here if you’re interested in getting into mechanical keyboards but aren’t sure where to start.
Don’t forget about customizing your keyboard! It’s not as daunting as it sounds! Static typing is just as important as dynamic typing in gaming! Here are a few tips I’ve learned about typing speed depending on how fast you type:
Cherry MX Mechanical Keyboard Switches Reviewed
The mechanical keyboard market isn’t any different from any other industry: you have to choose from good and bad keyboards out there. When making this comparison, you have to look out for a few keys because they will make all of the difference between a good and excellent keyboard.
For the most part, mechanical keyboards work well for anyone who uses them regularly and has no typing speed or accuracy issues. Some people may want to go for more of a “hi-tech” feel, but we found that this wasn’t necessary for most users in our review process. If you do go for one of these keyboards, though, make sure you know what it is you’re looking for before purchasing one.
This is an essential point if you choose to purchase an “ultra” mechanical keyboard over your regular board if you’re planning on using it at a desk or somewhere where multiple hands will be required to type on it at once (as opposed to just using it as a notebook replacement).
Mechanical keyboards tend to have longer battery life as well as more robust components than their plastic counterparts too, so if you often need your desktop or laptop computer back up when traveling, then they might be worth considering over their plastic counterparts.
If, however you plan on gaming on your desktop or laptop computer, then we recommend sticking with your standard board as they will setup quicker than the mechanical variants and tend to be much quieter, too, so unless noise is an issue, then we suggest choosing one of these over a mechanical keyboard anyway.
Conclusion
There is a wide array of options available for gaming keyboard switches. Each brand has its idea of what a good switch should be, but there is no definitive answer in reality.
One of the best ways to find out which keys you like is to type them out on your keyboard and see how you feel when you press each key. There are many different ways that you can go about this, but here are some of my favorite methods for doing so:
-If you don’t have a computer monitor, write down exactly what each key does on your keyboard and then press it three times without pausing. Do not use any specific letter or number as your beatings; just use simple descriptive terms that represent the function of each keypress.
-Take a pen and write out the letters with a letter-by-letter notation on your keyboard and then press all three notes at once. In this way, you can identify which keys do what by simply looking at them individually.
-Listen to songs that make you feel good while typing away at your computer in silence. The more excitement or satisfaction that builds up in your system as it’s being typed away, the easier it will be to press all three keys for every new letter to register correctly. You want to be able to hear yourself getting ready for each new beat of the song before hitting the next one (upbeat).
For those looking for an even more exciting method of determining which keys do what, I will highly recommend typing out all possible combinations (2x2x4x4x4x4) on both sides of your keyboard until you find a combination that feels good when pressed (a combination I call “Faster Combos”).
Then use this combination whenever possible while playing games. Simple combinations like “Faster Combos” really help me find combinations that work well with my inputs while playing games because they have been used so much by other players/gamers and have become ingrained into my mind as best practices!
Finally! I noticed when typing this article how many people have their keyboards set up so that they press every letter individually instead of pressing multiple times with each successive letter. This can be done extremely quickly by using the “Alternate Keystroke” feature in Windows 8/10, allowing one single keystroke per character instead of 3 separate keystrokes per character!