

On keyboards without it, you might feel the need to bottom-out the key to confirm it’s been pressed. Tactile: Some switches come with a tactile bump that lets you feel when you’ve reached the actuation point.Clicky: Some switches make a light click when pressed others make one that’s much more audible.

They can help avoid miss-presses, however. While that might be hard to imagine, just know that those with higher actuation force requirements tend to need a firmer press and can tire fingers out sooner when typing for long periods. That metric is known as actuation force, and it’s typically measured in grams. Actuation force: All keys require some pressure to press them down, but some switches require more force than others.The height of that differs from switch to switch, but all of them have one. For that, you have to hit the actuation point. Actuation point: Pressing a keyboard key doesn’t necessarily mean it’s been registered by your PC.Here’s a handy list of some ways switches are described to help you better understand what that means for each switch. When analyzing different switch types, it’s helpful to know what some of the terms and specifications for them actually mean. If you still can’t decide after reading our guide, we recommend picking up an inexpensive mechanical keyboard switch tester to see what kind of switch works for you. There are many differences between various keyboard switches, but the one you should use mostly comes down to personal preference. We’ve rounded up all of the mechanical keyboard switches from leading peripheral brands to help you sort through the options. Gateron - Red, Black, Brown, Blue, Clear.Razer - Green, Orange, Yellow, Opto-Mechanical.Cherry MX - Red, Black, Brown, Blue, Speed.
