Both are relatively inexpensive, and considerably cheaper than getting a completely new board. Foam pads can be applied directly to the switches themselves, or GMK’s Switch Clips can be installed over them. If you’d like something a little less “hacky,” there are commercial products made specifically to achieve the same effect. O-rings go around the stem of your keycaps to keep them from bottoming out.
That lowers the noise of a keyboard’s operation considerably, though it won’t help with the sound of the switch itself (so “clicky” switches like the Cherry MX Blue won’t see much of a difference).
O-rings, tiny rings of silicone originally intended for sealing gaskets, can be placed around the stem of a key to prevent the sound of it “bottoming out” on the keyboard plate. If you can’t bear to part with your current keyboard, you can still take some relatively easy steps to mitigate at least some of the sound it makes. Add Padding To The Keyboard You Already Own Thanks to a combined spring-and-dome mechanism, they have a “THONK” sound rather than a more audible “CLICK.” But Topre-style keyboards are rather expensive, and most come without the cross-shaped stems that make them compatible with Cherry MX-standard keycaps. The electrostatic capacitive switches on Topre keyboards are much quieter than standard MX-style switches.īy the way, Topre-branded keyboards and keyboards that use similar electrostatic capacitive key mechanisms are already much quieter than other mechanical keyboard designs. Gateron, a supplier of “clone” MX-style switches, also has “silent” variations of its Red, Brown, and Black switches, which you can buy individually or in a pre-made keyboard. The video above gives a solid example of the difference between a standard Cherry MX Red switch and the Red Silent version.Ĭherry Silent switches are available primarily on Corsair-branded keyboards at retail, though there are a few boards from Cherry itself and some boutique manufacturers like Varmilo and Filco. The Silent Red MX switch is favored by gamers thanks to a weaker 45-gram activation point, while the Silent Black MX switch is a heavier 60-gram switch. This removes most of the noise coming from the switch as you type. These are linear switches (faster, with no “bump” or audible “click” mechanism) that have tiny pieces of rubber inside where the stem returns as the spring expands. Cherry claims they’re 30% quieter than standard MX key switches.Ĭherry, the German manufacturer that’s made the standardized MX mechanical switch for decades, offers Silent variations of both its Red and Black switch designs. “Silent” is in quotation marks here, which of course means “not really silent” the new switches do make noise, but they’re not nearly as obnoxious as more standard mechanical keys. Enter the “silent” switch, a new batch of switch designs that use different materials to dampen the noise of the plastic parts inside a mechanical housing. This is considerably louder than more mundane keyboard mechanisms, which use a sheet of rubber to cover the actuation switches, effectively dampening the sound, but resulting in a far less crisp feel sought after by many typists and gamers.īut with the rise of mechanical keyboards, manufacturers have set about solving the noise problem. Plastic sliders underneath each key are depressed down on a spring, closing an electrical circuit and activating the corresponding key input for your computer. What makes a mechanical keyboard loud is the action of the individual switches. New “Silent” Switches Offer A Measurable Improvement
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