Are Gaming Keyboards Loud?

If you ask any gamer, what is the most important thing you need to be a pro gamer? The answer will be a good gaming keyboard. Gaming keyboards, like regular keyboards in general, are a matter of personal choice. When you’re in the middle of a war, a robust gaming keyboard will make all the difference.

When it comes to gaming keyboards, mechanical keyboards are the best option to go for. Mechanical keyboards provide more key movement and a variety of tactile responses and actuation forces that you can tailor to your specific needs and requirements.

However, Mechanical gaming keyboards can be pretty loud.

Are Gaming Keyboards loud?

Yes, gaming keyboards are pretty loud, but they are always not loud. The classic clicky sound of gaming keyboards is enjoyable to many users, although others find it irritating. There is a widespread misunderstanding that mechanical keyboards are often loud; however, there are various quiet switches to choose from to reduce noise.

Due to the advancement in the technology and design of new mechanical keyboards. The old concept of gaming keyboards always being loud has changed. Gaming Keyboards with clicky switches are often loud and noisy. But, the ones with the tactile switches, on the other hand, sound mild, whereas those with linear switches are smooth and quiet.

Types of Switches in Mechanical Keyboards

The type of switch that is used for the keys determines how noisy a mechanical keyboard is; some switches are extremely loud, while others are just marginally quieter than a standard membrane keyboard. Each key switch has its own set of characteristics, and which one you should use is a personal choice. Tone, tactile feel, linear feel, and actuation force are the properties in question.

So, there are three types of switches available for mechanical keyboard or gaming keyboard.

Linear Switches

Linear switches are more of a less noisy option as they do not have any bumps to reflect the actuation point. These keys continue to make typing smooth and easy. Linear keys are ideal if you want a mechanical keyboard but don’t want to make a lot of noise.

Tactile Switches

They are the most common type of switches easily available for the mechanical keyboard. Tactile switches cause the popular clicky sound you hear on most mechanical keyboards. When pushing down the key, you can have a feel of a bump on the tactile switch. This bump reflects the “actuation point,” which is the precise point at which your computer will type the character. Tactile keys are helpful in enhancing typing speed since the actuation point indicates when to release the key.

Actuation Force

Actuation force is another important factor in gaming keyboards. The force required to press down the key is measured in grams by the weight. But do keep in mind choosing a key switch that offers a lot of resistance will cause you severe hand discomfort. Hence, it is better to avoid switches with lots of resistance. The resistance is measured in grams, with the average key switch requiring 45g to press, with the higher and lower ends requiring 25g and up to 70g, respectively.

Amount of Sound according to your Typing speed and style

The amount of sound your gaming keyboard produces depends on your typing style also. Various keys have different sound levels, such as the Brown Switch, which is quieter, and the Blue Switch, which is noisier.

It would make loud noises if we violently mash the keys on a regular basis. However, after some practice typing on mechanical keyboards, you will be able to find a successful typing style that will reduce the amount of noise your typing makes before clicking.

Why are Gaming Keyboards so loud?

Gaming keyboards are quite loud and the primary reason for it would be the individual switches. They come with a plastic slider that is below every key and they hold down a spring. This mechanism is significantly louder than more common keyboard mechanisms and as a result, you will often find the sound of gaming keyboards to be quite loud.

Moreover, gaming keyboards come with clicky keys and they have a much higher travel and press compared to standard keyboards. This is another reason for gaming keyboards to be loud as the hard clicky keys travel more than other keyboards.

On the other hand, a regular keyboard will cover the actuation keys using a sheet of rubber which eventually dampens the sound.

Can you use gaming keyboards at work?

Yes, you can use gaming keyboards for work. But there are many factors that you should keep inside your head if you decide to do this.

It is up to you to evaluate your working atmosphere and determine if it is acceptable. You can try to use a linear switch in your gaming keyboard, as this will reduce the volume of your gaming keyboard. As a result, the chance for you annoying anyone in the office or disturbing the office environment is significantly less.

If you operate in an office suite room, it all depends on how noisy the atmosphere is in the first place; if it’s quiet with little talking or typing, I’d suggest asking around to see if anyone minds if you use a gaming keyboard. If your office’s noise level is still high due to a lot of talking and typing, you should have no problem using a gaming keyboard.

There is one more factor that you should think about before using a gaming keyboard in your office. If you slam the keys on a standard keyboard would make more noise than someone who types slowly on a mechanical keyboard.

Consider all these facts before using your gaming keyboard in the office because you surely don’t want to disturb others with your typing sound.

Are gaming keyboards good for typing or programming

Programming requires typing for hours and hours. And You need a keyboard that won’t provide your hand’s discomfort and pain. Only a programmer can understand how important a good keyboard is. Gaming keyboards allow you to type in a much more enjoyable manner. They may also provide you with different typing experiences based on the switches you use.

Hence, you can say that mechanical keyboards, make you happy to type on, making programming more fun and worthwhile. And the same also applies to typing on the computer. As a programmer, you can get a lot of great features and capabilities by using switches of gaming keyboards. Not only will you be able to type faster with custom switch styles, but you will also be able to build your own typing style.

Given the truth, most programmers spend the majority of the time in front of a computer, using the keyboard as their primary input device. Gaming keyboards were created specifically for typists, programmers and gamers from the ground up. Moreover, In contrast to the membrane or scissor keyboards, they are more durable, and most have interchangeable keycaps.

Which one is louder? Gaming keyboards or Membrane Keyboards?

A membrane Keyboard has a membrane underneath the keyboard keys and a circuit attached to it underneath the membrane. The keypress is determined by the membrane keyboard, which does not have separate keys like a gaming keyboard.

On the other hand, separate mechanical keys on mechanical or gaming keyboards accept anything we type. The mechanical keyboard records our typing experiences by using keys attached to a circuit.

Hence, you can easily understand that membrane keyboards will be much quieter than mechanical keyboards. This is because of the membrane layer under the keys of the membrane keyboard. In comparison to mechanical keyboards, the membrane layer dampens noise and keeps clicks quiet.

Is it possible to make mechanical switches less noisy?

As mentioned earlier, the gaming keyboards are mostly mechanical keyboards, and they are quite noisy. However, you can make them less noisy if you wish to. In a mechanical keyboard, plastic sliders underneath each key are pushed down on a spring, closing an electrical circuit and triggering the computer’s accompanying key input.

This is significantly louder than more popular keyboard mechanisms, which surround the actuation switches with a sheet of rubber. Which potentially dampens the sound but results in a much less crisp feel desired by many typists and gamers.

Mechanical switches, such as the blue switch, make a lot of noise, which can be annoying if you prefer a quiet workspace. The brown switches, on the other hand, have the same tactile and clicky feel like the Blue Switch. Even so, it makes less noise than the blue switch.

By using a damper to reduce noise, we can make the mechanical keyboard keys quieter. We can create a quieter mechanical switch keyboard using rubber rings which can be used as sound dampers as this will minimize the Key noise of any mechanical keyboard.

Using Foam Pads and clip switches

If you do not want to use Rubber rings, you can use foam pads or switch clips. These are really cheap and easy to find. Just make sure you have the right kind of Switch Clips. You can use the foam pads to cover your mechanical keys directly.

Advantages of using a gaming keyboard

There are various advantages of using gaming keyboards that include

• Long-Lasting: As they come in a good price tag, you can stay assured that they will last much longer compared to regular membrane keyboards.

• More responsive: Gaming keyboards or mechanical keyboards are far more responsive to each keystroke, and additionally, they provide stronger feedback.

• Faster: Gaming keyboards are very fast when it comes to response. They will respond very quickly, which makes them useful for other works also and not just gaming. 

• Precision: Precision is probably the best reason to go for a gaming keyboard; you do not want to stay stranded in-game when your opponent is shooting at you. Gaming keyboards will provide you with perfect precision as you require.

• Comfortable: Most of the gaming keyboards are pretty large in size, and they are designed in such a way that they will maximize your hand comfort. Hence gaming keyboards are also quite useable for a typist.

• Satisfying sound: Even though the clicky sound of gaming keyboards can be quite irritating for some. But typical gamers and even some typists like this sound as they feel quite satisfied with this sound.

Should You Get a Quieter Gaming keyboard?

In case you are determined to get a quieter gaming keyboard. Then it would be best if you get a mechanical keyboard with linear keys. While linear key switches lack the tactile bumps that cause the clicky sound, they still feel fantastic to type and play games with.

Conclusion

Are gaming Keyboards loud? You have probably got the answer by now. Gaming keyboards are designed to provide you with the max precision and performance. We tried to cover most of the aspects related to gaming keyboards that you might need to know.

If you wish to lower your gaming keyboard’s clicky sound, you can find ways on how to do it inside our article. It all depends on the type of mechanical switches you are willing to use and your usage’s primary purpose.