Keyboard Recommendations

[Marie_630]

Hi, my hubby is a total PC gamer and right now he has a keyboard that is extremely quiet, but it is not a gaming keyboard. I know he has ordered several gaming keyboards and will type on them for seconds and then return them because they make too much noise. Does anyone know of any gaming keyboards or any keyboards that make NO noise when you type on them. I want to get him a new keyboard for our anniversary, so at this point I'm not worried about price, because I think the one he has now cost him a couple hundred dollars, also the keyboard HAS to be wired because he hates wireless keyboards. Thanks in advance for all your suggestions. 

[dizmo]

No noise is a bit tricky. Most mechanical keyboards will make at least a little noise, plus with the tens of different switch types it's kind of a tricky thing to buy someone, as most people have pretty strong preferences when it comes to those.

 

If he likes mechanical switches, the Roccat Vulcan might be worth looking at.

There's also Cherry MX Silent switches, which might be worth looking into. They're available on numerous keyboards.

You can also get rubber O rings for Cherry mechanical keyboards to help reduce the sound, but some people can't stand them as they also shorten the travel of the keys.

[EsaT]

With its design including rubber dome as major component Topre has indeed very smooth noise profile.

As downside they're very expensive, harder to find and don't have anykind illumination of key cap markings if that's wanted.

 

Though only actually truly silent keyboard would be one without any moving parts.

And most mechanical switches are simply designed to fail to give damn about noise.

Doesn't matter if its called as something else than Cherry MX, because design of most is functionally carbon copy with hard plastic parts smashing against each others both in down and upstroke.

 

 

8 hours ago, dizmo said:

You can also get rubber O rings for Cherry mechanical keyboards to help reduce the sound, but some people can't stand them as they also shorten the travel of the keys.

Those are "lipstick on a pig" and really help only if writing slowly slowing down upstroke of keycaps with finger.

Otherwise plunger still hits roof of switch frame/housing hard causing key cap rattle.

I used MX Brown keyboard with factory installed o-rings for nearly five years.

Romer-G with built in noise damping for both down and upstroke has clearly quieter, calmer/smoother noise without sharp "clickety-clacketyness".

[dizmo]

5 hours ago, EsaT said:

Those are "lipstick on a pig" and really help only if writing slowly slowing down upstroke of keycaps with finger.

Otherwise plunger still hits roof of switch frame/housing hard causing key cap rattle.

I used MX Brown keyboard with factory installed o-rings for nearly five years.

Romer-G with built in noise damping for both down and upstroke has clearly quieter, calmer/smoother noise without sharp "clickety-clacketyness".

Depends which kind of o-rings you get. The set I had on my previous keyboard most certainly quieted the keys down.

Romger-G is not quieter than say MX Reds. They also feel pretty shitty compared to other switch types.

[EsaT]

43 minutes ago, dizmo said:

Depends which kind of o-rings you get. The set I had on my previous keyboard most certainly quieted the keys down.

Romger-G is not quieter than say MX Reds. They also feel pretty shitty compared to other switch types.

O-rings don't do anything to upstroke noise unless you stick enough of them there to prevent key moving any.

And MX Red isn't any quieter than MX Brown.

I tested all four Black, Blue, Brown and Red in shop for behaviour/feel and noise before getting my first mechanical keyboard.

Only significant sound difference is Blue being even more noisier than others with its added sound effect.

[dizmo]

3 minutes ago, EsaT said:

O-rings don't do anything to upstroke noise unless you stick enough of them there to prevent key moving any.

And MX Red isn't any quieter than MX Brown.

I tested all four Black, Blue, Brown and Red in shop for behaviour/feel and noise before getting my first mechanical keyboard.

Only significant sound difference is Blue being even more noisier than others with its added sound effect.

No, but they reduce the noise of the key press, thus reducing the overall noise of the keyboard.

I didn't say it was, did I.

I've actually owned keyboards of all those switch types, not just tested them in a store. I know how they are.