Keyboard switch types
The linear-tactile-clicky split describes what your finger feels, not what the keyboard does. For competitive play the properties that matter are the actuation point, the reset point, and the gap between them, none of which the three-way split tells you about.
The three families
| Family | Force curve | Feedback | Competitive relevance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linear | Force rises smoothly with depth, no discontinuity | None beyond the spring | Smoothest repeated presses. The default competitive choice. |
| Tactile | A bump, then a drop, then force rises again | You feel the actuation | The bump tells you the key registered without bottoming out, which some people find useful. |
| Clicky | Tactile bump plus an audible click mechanism | Felt and heard | Same as tactile, plus noise. Watch the reset point on click-jacket designs. |
None of that tells you the numbers that matter, which is the point of the table below.
What matters: actuation, reset and the gap
For a keyboard used in a game, three distances describe almost everything:
- Actuation point: depth at which the press registers. Shorter means the key fires sooner in the movement.
- Reset point: depth at which the key must return to before it can fire again. Shorter travel back means faster re-presses.
- Hysteresis: the gap between them. A large gap means you have to lift much further than you pressed, which is what makes some switches feel bad for counter-strafing.
Counter-strafing in a tactical shooter is the canonical case: you press A, then release A and press D, and the game's movement state depends on the exact ordering. A switch with a high reset point delays the release event, which delays the stop, which is why this specification became widely discussed once Hall effect boards started letting people adjust it.
The switch database
| Switch | Type | Actuation | Travel | Force | Peak | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cherry MX Red | Linear | 2 mm | 4 mm | 45 gf | - | The reference linear. Predictable, light, widely cloned. |
| Cherry MX Speed Silver | Linear | 1.2 mm | 3.4 mm | 45 gf | - | Short-throw linear built for early actuation, at the cost of accidental presses. |
| Cherry MX Black | Linear | 2 mm | 4 mm | 60 gf | - | Heavier linear. Popular with people who bottom out hard. |
| Cherry MX Brown | Tactile | 2 mm | 4 mm | 45 gf | 55 gf | The mildest mainstream tactile. Often described as a scratchy linear. |
| Cherry MX Blue | Clicky | 2.2 mm | 4 mm | 50 gf | 60 gf | Click-jacket design. Reset point sits above the actuation point, which hurts fast double-taps. |
| Gateron Yellow (KS-3) | Linear | 2 mm | 4 mm | 50 gf | - | The budget-linear benchmark. Smooth for the money. |
| Gateron Red | Linear | 2 mm | 4 mm | 45 gf | - | Lighter Gateron linear, close to MX Red in feel. |
| Kailh Box White | Clicky | 1.8 mm | 3.6 mm | 45 gf | 55 gf | Click-bar clicky: reset and actuation are close together, unlike MX Blue. |
| Kailh Speed Silver | Linear | 1.1 mm | 3.5 mm | 40 gf | - | One of the shortest mainstream mechanical throws. |
| Gazzew Boba U4T | Tactile | 2 mm | 3.6 mm | 62 gf | 68 gf | Sharp, rounded bump. A community favourite for typing rather than twitch aim. |
| Durock/JWK Alpaca | Linear | 2 mm | 4 mm | 62 gf | - | Smooth heavier linear, long-standing enthusiast default. |
| C3 Tangerine (67g) | Linear | 2 mm | 4 mm | 67 gf | - | UHMWPE housing, notably smooth, heavy spring. |
| NovelKeys Cream | Linear | 2 mm | 4 mm | 55 gf | - | All-POM housing that breaks in noticeably over time. |
| Razer Optical Linear Gen-3 | Optical linear | 1 mm | 3.5 mm | 40 gf | - | Beam-break actuation removes debounce delay entirely. |
| SteelSeries OmniPoint 3.0 | Hall effect | 0.1 mm | 4 mm | 45 gf | - | Adjustable 0.1 to 4.0 mm, per-key, with rapid trigger. |
| Wooting Lekker L45 | Hall effect | 0.1 mm | 4 mm | 45 gf | - | Adjustable 0.1 to 4.0 mm. The switch that made rapid trigger mainstream. |
| Gateron KS-20 Magnetic | Hall effect | 0.1 mm | 3.5 mm | 30 gf | - | Light magnetic linear used across many budget Hall effect boards. |
| Gateron Jade (magnetic) | Hall effect | 0.1 mm | 3.4 mm | 40 gf | - | Shorter total travel than the KS-20, which sharpens rapid trigger. |
Choosing, practically
| If this is your problem | Look for |
|---|---|
| You press keys you did not mean to | Heavier spring (60 gf and up), or a longer actuation point |
| Counter-strafing feels mushy or late | Hall effect with rapid trigger, or a short-throw linear |
| Your fingers ache after long sessions | Lighter spring, and check you are bottoming out unnecessarily |
| You cannot tell when a key has registered | Tactile, which is exactly what the bump is for |
| You share a room and noise matters | Linear, silent variants with dampened stems, or lower-profile keycaps |
| You want the shortest possible press | Hall effect set to 0.3 to 0.8 mm, or a speed-silver style short throw |
The bottoming-out trap
Most people bottom out every key, meaning they push the switch all the way to the bottom of its travel even though it actuated at 2 mm. That extra 2 mm is wasted movement and wasted force, and it is the main cause of finger fatigue on heavy switches. Learning to press only to actuation is possible, takes weeks, and is far easier on a tactile switch where the bump tells you where actuation is.
Related reading
- Hall effect and rapid trigger: adjustable actuation and why it changes counter-strafing.
- Actuation point in depth, including how to pick a value.
- Keyboard latency, and where debounce fits.
- The full switch database.
Frequently asked questions
Are linear switches better for gaming?
They are the consensus choice and there is a mechanical argument for it: a linear switch has no bump to push through, so the force curve is smooth and rapid repeated presses are slightly easier. The effect is small. Plenty of strong players use tactiles. What matters more is that the switch is consistent and that you can find the actuation point reliably.
What is the difference between actuation point and total travel?
Actuation point is how far the key must go down before the keypress registers, typically 1.2 to 2.0 mm. Total travel is how far it can go down before bottoming out, typically 3.4 to 4.0 mm. The gap between them is wasted movement in a competitive context, which is why short-throw switches exist.
Do clicky switches slow you down?
Slightly, on one specific mechanism. Traditional click-jacket designs such as Cherry MX Blue reset higher than they actuate, so after a press you must release further than you pressed before the key can fire again. That hurts fast double-taps. Click-bar designs such as Kailh Box White do not have this problem. The click sound itself costs nothing.
What actuation force should I choose?
Between 40 and 60 gf covers almost everyone. Lighter switches are faster to actuate and easier to press accidentally, especially with your fingers resting on the keys. Heavier switches resist accidental presses and cause more fatigue during sustained movement input. If you frequently trigger keys you did not mean to, go heavier.
Are optical keyboard switches faster?
They remove the need for debounce delay, which is worth a few milliseconds, and they have no contacts to wear. The feel is a matter of the mechanism above the sensor rather than the sensing method. The latency saving is genuine but small compared to the difference rapid trigger makes.