As a gamer, I had this question about why are mechanical keyboards better for gaming. You and I want to get the best gaming gear for an amazing gaming experience. So let’s find out about the mechanical keyboard as there are two gaming gears known as keyboard and mouse which we want to be top-notch to take gaming skills to the next level. I will discuss in this post why mechanical keyboards are better for gaming.
So why are mechanical keyboards better for gaming? Mechanical keyboards are better for gaming because mechanical keyboards help you type faster, they are more precise for the gaming experience, they provide stronger feedback and are highly responsive, more durable with superior build quality, offer 10 to 20 programmable keys.
I always wonder how these mechanical keyboards amazed me every time. These awesome features of mechanical keyboards have very fascinating functions that you would love to know. Let’s find out and dig deep to reveal the secrets of these mechanical keyboards.
Reasons why are mechanical keyboards better for gaming
We gamers always have to make a choice before selecting better gaming peripheral and when it comes to gaming keyboards, we want to have the best in the market. Now that we stumbled upon mechanical keyboards and need to know what is exactly different than other keyboards for our gaming experience. Let’s dig dive into some cool areas of mechanical keyboards and how they can be better for the gaming experience.
- Mechanical keyboards help you type faster
- They are more precise for the gaming experience
- They provide stronger feedback and are highly responsive
- More durable with the superior build quality
- Offer 10 to 20 programmable keys
- You can customize backlighting for a few keys
- You can clean easily by removing the keycaps
Do Mechanical keyboards make you type faster?
There are mechanical keyboards that are photo-optical which are equipped with the key switches with photo sensors to optically detect when keys are pressed. Some of the mechanical keyboards have a very good response time till 0.2ms which makes this keyboard 10 times faster than traditional mechanical switches keyboards.
This quick response will take your competitive gaming to the next level. For example, you will be able to reload your weapons fractionally faster than your opponents. Many times you will be ahead in small tasks and use of hotkeys while you are in an online multiplayer match.
What are the best key switches for gaming?
Cherry MX red switches are most popular among the gamers. These red switches require less pressure and are very good for gaming which requires fast clicks. They click and make sounds and can be disturbing while streaming online. Brown switches are silent and can give bumps for the feedback, they feel like regular switches but can be effective in online streaming.
There are 6 types of Cherry MX switches. You can test all of these 6 switches with testers available. You can choose the one which fits best for your preference. Here is the table below which explains very well: (Image and table credit hyperxgaming)
| Key Switch | Pressure Point | Life Span (Keystrokes) |
| HyperX Red | 45g | 80 million |
| HyperX Aqua | 45g | 80 million |
| Cherry MX Red | 45g | >50 million |
| Cherry MX Brown | 45g | >50 million |
| Cherry MX Blue | 50g | >50 million |
| Kailh Silver Speed | 40g | Up to 70 million |
You can use precise clicks for the best gaming experience
In competitive gaming, we always tend to re-do where we just made the mistake while playing the game. Since our normal gaming keyboards take a bit of time to send the response to the computer, we tend to miss the target and opportunity that we could grab.
With mechanical keyboards, we have the precise clicks which will have the quickest response time and it will help us to hit the bulls-eye most of the time. Practically these should be tested as per your hands-on experience as some of the gamers will like the advantage of being precise every time. I have liked the way it does help me in my gaming sessions. You may experience differently though, as you also need to know which key switches have a faster response time before you buy any mechanical keyboard.
They provide stronger feedback with a click sound
This one is very interesting to me as mechanical keyboards have key switches that make a sound of a click whenever you press any key. This gives you the feedback in two ways such as one with the touch of the click and second is the sound of the click. In this way, you are aware of the actions while playing and will add support to your hand-eye coordination. This will be a little noisy though but it will be helpful for you to understand that certain keys are pressed and you will be aligned with your next steps.
There is one drawback with this sound of clicking every time. especially, when you are streaming online. Your viewers can listen to the irritating clicking sounds in the background and that can be very frustrating for you. In this case, you have a solution to stick with the mechanical keyboard and just choosing the right key switch. Choosing the right key switch for your mechanical keyboard will solve sound issues. I have explained it further in this post.
More durable with the superior build quality
Mechanical keyboards are durable but how do actually find out the lifespan of them? These mechanical keyboards have a lifespan of the keystrokes over a period of time. The average keystrokes per hour comprised approximately 8,000 (KPH) and this can be multiplied by the gameplay hours played by each gamer.
Most of the mechanical keyboards have the capacity of 20 to 50 million keystrokes over the period of lifespan which is vastly greater than the normal gaming keyboards. Other than Cherry MX switches such as HyperX and Kailh switches gives you up to 80 million keystrokes for the lifetime.
Mechanical keyboards have switches that last longer than normal keyboards. You do not have to worry about losing the key as they hardly wear out. You will be surprised after several years of usage you feel it’s the first day of typing on your mechanical keyboard. One of the best advantages is that there will not be a clattering of keys or keys getting stuck as you have experienced that on a normal keyboard.
Offer 10 to 20 programmable keys
Isn’t it amazing? You can customize 10 to 20 programmable keys with these specialized mechanical keyboards. These will allow you to set your favorite key set and use them as per your convenience. This will be available in very selected mechanical keyboards so please make sure you check before you buy one.
There are some mechanical keyboards that allow you to program certain keys with your preference and it will result in faster typing and with less errors. This feature is one kind of a luxury to someone who opted for a mechanical keyboard that is smaller at 60% of the actual size keyboard.
You can customize backlighting for a few keys
Mechanical keyboards are one of the special tools for the personalization of keyboards. Generally, mechanical keyboards have back-lights programmed with different sets of actions and times. But you can also choose different colors for your favorite keys such as “WASD” which we use most of the time in gaming. This is all about personal preference as many gamers want to focus mainly on gaming but some will make sure that their gaming station looks the best ever.
You can clean easily by removing the keycaps
As shown in the image above you can remove any keycaps from the mechanical keyboards and clean them easily. Since mechanical keyboards have the keycaps with more height than the normal ones, it tends to get filled with more debris and you may need to clean them on a regular basis. Make sure you are using a good dry brush and cloth to clean them.
Some cool facts about mechanical keyboard
We know that mechanical keyboards are very different from normal membrane keyboards. But what makes them so special and stand out and makes me awe every time, let’s find out about them in-depth.
Observe fonts used on the keys
Yes, fonts! Don’t think every keyboard has the same set of fonts. You have to also check for the font type on the mechanical keyboard which gives you the personal touch and connects you more towards your gaming station.
RGB enable keyboards with lighting effects
Some mechanical keyboards come with backlights but few of them come with RGB enabled with lighting effects. An RGB mechanical keyboard offers a complete RGB spectrum of colors consisting of a range of pinks, purples, reds, and every dark and bright color. Basically, you get the option to choose any color from the RGB spectrum, and apply it to the keys and work as a backlight for the keys.
They give you high stability and Robustness
Mechanical keyboards are comparatively much heavy than normal membrane keyboards. While playing games we tend to get excited and that can disturb the current set-up. Since mechanical keyboards are heavy they tend to stick to the platform and are more stable even with general movement around.
The general shape of the mechanical keyboard
Mechanical keyboards have great advantages towards gaming but also lack when it comes to online streaming. You have to choose the mechanical switches very carefully before you buy any one of them. I hope this post has cleared some of your questions and it would be great if you can share your feedback and suggestions in below comment box.
