Best Non-Mechanical Keyboard?

Warrior

Warrior

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I'm a father with a baby that sleeps on the other side of the wall from my computer, and also games in the same room where my girlfriend sleeps. There is no way in hell I'm going to get some loud clickety keyboard, lol.

I'm looking for a quiet gaming keyboard. Any suggestions?

I'm currently using a G510, btw.
 
Nothing wrong with you not wanting to go mechanical, but I would like to correct you in that it is a misconception that mechanical keyboards are clicky and/or noisier than a membrane keyboard by definition; it depends on the keyboard, it depends on the type of switch and it depends if one uses proper typing technique or not.

My apologies not being able to help you in your research — I have not been following membrane keyboards for years now.
 
Okay. So are there any Mechanical Keyboards that are quiet?
 
Cherry Black switches are the quietest, according to the web. Very good for FPS gaming.
Choosing a mechanical keyboard is part budget/shopping, part features and brand.
Ducky and Das Keyboard are top line, among others
Cooler Master (some models), Thermaltake, and Corsair are worth a look.
Rosewill are good low price keyboards with a reputation for connector plug failures at keyboard.
Monoprice I forget what I've heard/read.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_s...ix=mechanical+keyboard+black+,electronics,198

Watch for made in china imitation Cherry Switches, these have a poor reputation.
 
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Warrior said:
Okay. So are there any Mechanical Keyboards that are quiet?
Click to expand...
From the moment you are using a keyboard with non clicky switches (e,g. MX Blue, MX Green, Matias Click etc.) associated with proper typing technique (only depressing the keys to the actuation point) a mechanical keyboard will be no more nosier than your typical membrane board. Note that I did not use the term quiet.

That being said, are you a heavy typer? Your main concern being noise, if you are then are you willing to adapt your technique? If not then maybe you would want to stick to your initial idea of going for a membrane board.

wtourist said:
Cherry Black switches are the quietest, according to the web. Very good for FPS gaming.
Click to expand...
This is incorrect — MX Reds, MX Browns and MX Blacks are all the same in regards to noise. As for switch types being adequate for FPS, RTS etc. this is all 100% subjective and in no ways a rule.
 
_PixelNinja said:
This is incorrect — MX Reds, MX Browns and MX Blacks are all the same in regards to noise. As for switch types being adequate for FPS, RTS etc. this is all 100% subjective and in no ways a rule.
Click to expand...

No, MX Blacks generally have a lessor chance of bottoming out, or bottom out with less force than both MX Reds and MX Browns.

I am a real key masher, and my FILCO with MX Blue switches made much more noise from bottoming out than it did from the switch click. Although I fixed that by adding soft landing pads.

If one has a problem with keys bottoming out, then I would recommend a keyboard with MX Black switches and these soft landing pads:
http://elitekeyboards.com/products.php?sub=access,slpads&pid=sl120_cs

If one has a lighter touch, then MX Red switches or MX Brown switches may be a better choice, although they may still want to use soft landing pads to reduce noise when bottoming out.
 
The fact that you make noise bottoming out is entirely the consequence of your typing habit and in no shape or form a result of the switch design. All non-clicky switches are in and of themselves silent.
 
This guy compares the sound of keyboards with MX Blue, MX Brown, and MX Black switches: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFkl1Vet1eU

Also, there's a "dampener" that you can buy for any cherry switch which can make even MX Blues make much less noise.

The company responsible for the video (WASD Keyboards) makes a customizable keyboard with switches and dampeners of your choice. I own one, and am very happy with it.
 
I have used black blue brown and red switches. The tactile switches will be louder. I have heard some people use rubber O rings from the hardware store the prevent the keys from bottoming out.
 
Do you actually need high n-key rollover?

What games do you play?

Do you need a keyboard with macro keys?
 
I've gone to mechanical decks a few times now. Reds, browns, blacks, blues, even buckling springs. I'll admit, they are nice as hell to type on. But I just don't feel at home on a mechanical deck, KEEP coming back to my Logitech G105. I've had the G510, and the G19. I love they way they feel, mushy and all.

That being said, all that's above it true. I had 0-rings on my browns, not even as loud as my G105, lol.
 
I've been switching back and forth from a G510, Steelseries SWIFT, and a Logitech Wave wireless. I've had the majority of the high end Logitech Keyboards. I was looking into that new Steelseries with the sleek custom colored keys, looks to be nice and quiet.
 
You need to touch these keyboards yourself. As others said membrane switch keyboards can be loud too. Also I have a laptop with reasonably quiet keys and when we goto hotels its not the keyboard but the mouse clicks that bug people.

In general mechanical keyboards are louder though, but one nice think about them is you can modify them and possibly make them quieter than anything else. But by default I think you will have better luck finding a quiet membrane keyboard but I don't know if its going to be a good one for gaming. Watch out for key rollover issues. I own 3 mechanical keyboard with the Orings people sell and they are still making noise.
 
People really need to stop saying mechanical keyboards are loud when the user bottoms out the keys. I don't know how many times it needs to be said that is a user issue and not a due to the keyboard. If ones uses proper technique on non clicky switches, they are no louder than your run of the mill membrane board. Sigh.
 
I don't want to know about technique, I want to know about keyboards. I bottom my keys out, because I need satisfaction that I have a key pressed. The G510 I'm using is pretty quiet when ti comes to that, but not as much feedback as I would like.

I do need to touch these for myself. Hopefully I can test out a few Keyboards at a LAN party I'm going to tomorrow night.
 
Like I said, if that is the case then maybe a mechanical keyboard is not for you and there is nothing wrong with that. What bothers me is people spreading false information about mechanical keyboards.
 
Bottoming out keys is not going to stop. Why? Because wake me up when I can buy the laptop I want with mechanical keys. Wake me up when 90% of all the other keyboards we use everywhere else in life are mechanical. If you teach yourself not to bottom out you will be slower on membranes or make more errors.

Now I have 5 computers all with mechanical keyboards. I have reds, blacks, and browns and all of them are distinctly noisy. Some of them have the Orings too and it make them quieter but certainly does not silence them. This is why I said the OP should go and hear them. You may find yourself happy with Oring dampended cherry reds, or you might not.
 
He's looking to play games he's not going to stop bottoming out keys. The best he can do is buy Blacks or Reds with o-rings on a PBC backed board not a Plate backed board. Even that it will be louder than any membrane keyboard he could own. That being said it could be an acceptable amount of loud.
 
rudy said:
Bottoming out keys is not going to stop. Why? Because wake me up when I can buy the laptop I want with mechanical keys. Wake me up when 90% of all the other keyboards we use everywhere else in life are mechanical. If you teach yourself not to bottom out you will be slower on membranes or make more errors.
Click to expand...
I strongly disagree here. Claiming the use of proper touch typing technique will impair one's ability to type on other types of keyboards is wrong and frankly nonsense. It is not the case for me and it is not the case for every person who touch types I know or have talked about this with. Some might need a short warm up period to adapt, but that should be it.

Regardless, I want to make things clear. If you like bottoming out — some people do; to them it is part of the charm of mechanical keyboards — that is fine. What irritates me is people who complain about the noise of mechanical keyboards and spread the word that they are noisy when it is the user that is at fault. That is where I have a problem.
 
I'm surprised that no one's brought up Matias's ALPS variant, their silent version is [probably] the most quiet switch you'll find on the market.
 
So this last weekend, I went to GNWLAN 12 and won 2 keyboards. lol. One being the one I'm typing on now, a Razor Origin. This is now my daily driver for a little bit. My girlfriend definitely hates it... But, meh, she's also pregnant, so she hates everything. Haha.

The other keyboard I won was a Cooler master Devastator Keyboard and Mouse set. It seemed a little too cheesy for me, and of course this Razor is better. But, If anyone wants it they can PM me a marginally low ball offer I'll Probably take it.

But, so far, I like this keyboard. It's interesting how this thread turned out the complete opposite from what was originally intended.
 
I own cherry based keyboards and a couple of Topre based keyboards. I love them to death, but I'd hardly call any of them quiet compared to a chiclet keyboard.
 
Logitech G710 plus, despite still being mechanical, claims to have "quiet keys" with a damper, along with all the typical Logitech amenities. Note that they offer the same KB with cherry MX blue switches, which are very clicky, a fact which everyone within 30 feet of my office is now supremely aware. Being that they don't identify the quiet switches leads me to believe these are either an in-house, or an off-brand design.

http://gaming.logitech.com/en-us/product/g710plus-mechanical-gaming-keyboard

As you know, the majority of popular mech. boards use some variant of the Cherry MX switch design unless the company designs or sources something else (possibly including your Origin?). If you're looking to avoid the clicking noise, the MX brown switches look like your best option. These can be found on the DAS keyboard, among others.

http://www.keyboardco.com/blog/index.php/2012/12/an-introduction-to-cherry-mx-mechanical-switches/

http://www.daskeyboard.com/daskeyboard-4-ultimate/

That said, there are still plenty of options for non-mechanical boards, but personally, I don't think I'll be going back anytime soon. My Steelseries has the MX reds, which are great for gaming, though I will mention that the linear action makes accidental entries much more likely when typing. While this served as a good introduction into mechanical keyboards, I'm now finding myself very satisfied with the MX blues on the Rosewill I won at GNW.
 
The solution to this is very simple:

Get a mechanical keyboard, period.

Go with browns if you want a quite tactile feedback similar (but much better) than rubber dome type keyboards. Go with reds if you want light, linear actuation, and blacks if you're a bit more heavy handed. (I prefer reds but with a black switch for the spacebar as my thumb rests on it and can accidentally get pressed from time to time).

Browns are better for typing, reds/blacks better for gaming.

Put o-rings on every switch so when you bottom out it doesn't "clack".

Enjoy.
 
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Warrior said:
I'm a father with a baby that sleeps on the other side of the wall from my computer, and also games in the same room where my girlfriend sleeps. There is no way in hell I'm going to get some loud clickety keyboard, lol.

I'm looking for a quiet gaming keyboard. Any suggestions?

I'm currently using a G510, btw.
Click to expand...

microsoft natural, by far, always has been
 
krakerman said:
Why don't you just put o-rings on it then? You haven't responded to that suggestion at all and it really seems like it would get you the best of both worlds in your situation.
Click to expand...

w35t said:
Put o-rings on every switch so when you bottom out it doesn't "clack".

Enjoy.
Click to expand...

atarione said:
hi... if you already have the mechanical and want to try to quiet it down for cheap.. I bought these for my back up mechanical keyboard (rosewill rk9000 mx-red) in my experience did a nice job of reducing bottoming out noise.

http://www.amazon.com/008-Buna-N-O-..._indust_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=0CX41M4EZ5RG68XH7T73

cheaper than the WASD / other keyboard marketed ones basically the same thing however.
Click to expand...
So, I wanted to reasearch it a bit, and I just placed an order for these, I'll see how they do and report back. Again, thanks for the suggestions.
 
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Update: So this is what I was doing this morning....
keyboard.update.jpg

(Yes, That's a coaster and my coffee cup isn't on it. The coaster is for my phone, and it's taking a picture. :p)


After just a few minutes of test usage, my first thoughts are that I feel that it definitely quieted it down... And, over all it's exactly what I wanted in the end for a keyboard. So, there's that. This was a long process, and I think i was worth it. But, I hope I don't have to do it again. I'll be hooking it up as my work keyboard for the day to break in the rubbers, and I'll post back.

And, for reference, on this keyboard the sound before was like a clickCLACKclickCLACKclickCLACK, but now it's more of a clickclickclickclickclick. lol.

The spongy feeling is definitely weird though... But, I think that will break-in after a month or so and become a little more stiff.
 
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