Cherry MX Red vs Brown vs Blue: Which Mechanical Keyboard is the Best for You?

If you are looking to replace your membrane keyboard with a mechanical keyboard, you will come across the terms ‘Cherry MX red/brown/blue’ when looking to buy one. What do these mean? Which one is the best mechanical key style for you? We have done the research on forums, reddit, youtube – you name it, and have compiled this easy-to-red, informative guide on the different Cherry MX key styles. Read this guide to find out the best mechanical keyboard cherry mx style for you. Enjoy!

Rosewill Apollo Cherry MX Brown Mechanical Keyboard Best For Typing

Cherry offer three different types of switches that are designed for every type of PC user. This includes:

1. Tactile Switches

A tactile switch essentially has a ‘bump’ when clicked. When you press a tactile switch, when it reaches the activation point of the switch – basically how hard you have to press the key for it to register – the force then becomes weaker pushing back against your finger. The aim of this is for it to be easily identifiable when the key has been activated.

2. Clicky switches

A clicky switch differs from a tactile switch in that it produces a clicking noise when it is activated. This is purely a preference type of feature when picking between and clicky and tactile switch. A clicky switch can become quite loud and distracting over time if you are a avid gamer or a fast typer.

3. Linear Switches

A linear switch is different from clicky and tactile switches as it doesn’t have a ‘bump’ which the other mechanical keys have. So essentially with a linear switch the harder and further you press down on a key, the force becomes greated pushing back against your finger – just like a spring.

Cherry offer different styles of switches based on the different levels of stiffness – cherry MX red/brown/blue, for example.

So what does Cherry MX Red/Brown/Blue mean?

Cherry MX Red = Linear Switch (smooth) = good for typing + noise

Cherry MX Brown = Tactile, non-clicky switches = good for typing

Cherry MX Blue = Tactile, clicky switches = good for typing + noise + gaming


Best Cherry MX mechanical keyboard TL;DR

Best Cherry MX mechanical keyboard for gaming – CHERRY MX RED (Best rated: Corsair Gaming K70 Cherry MX Red)

Quietest Cherry MX mechanical keyboard – CHERRY MX BROWN (Best rated: Logitech G710+ Cherry MX Brown) or non cherry MX keyboard but world’s quietest mechanical keyboard (Matias Quiet Pro)

Best Cherry MX mechanical keyboard for typing – CHERRY MX BLUE (Best rated: Rosewill Apollo Cherry MX Blue Mechanical Keyboard)


Best Mechanical Keyboard For Gaming – Cherry MX Red vs Brown vs Blue:

At GPUnerd we think that Cherry MX Red is the best for gaming, and Cherry MX blue is best for typing. Cherry MX brown, however is a sweet spot between the two and offers a more balanced option. The MX reds are the ideal mechanical keyboard style for gaming as the keys are extremely light and smooth – making it super easy to type fast for gaming.

VERDICT: Cherry MX Red if you are looking for the best gaming mechanical keyboard.

Corsair Gaming K70 Mechanical Keyboard Cherry MX Red

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The most popular Cherry MX Red keyboard for gaming is the Corsair Gaming K70 Cherry MX Red Keyboard.


Quietest Mechanical Keyboard – Cherry MX Red vs Brown vs Blue:

When it comes to mechanical keyboards and noise – which can become quite a big deciding factor if you are a quick typist. Cherry MX Red and Brown are definitely the most quiet compared to Cherry MX Blue which is by far the loudest mechanical keyboard. Due to their tactile bump and audible click. Cherry MX browns hit a great sweet spot as they are squishy enough for the likes of gaming, but also maintain a mechanical tactile feel without needing to click all the way down. To reduce the sound of Cherry MX brown mechanical keyboard even further, we would recommend to install dampening rings (also known as a Opring mod) – which reduce the sound of the keys bottoming out. The Logitech G710+ Cherry MX brown mechanical keyboard offers this O-ring mod straight of the box.

Although if you are looking for the worlds quietest mechanical keyboard, this is not offered by Cherry style mechanical keboards but rather a Dampened White Simplified ALPs style mechanical keyboard – the Matias Quiet Pro.

VERDICT: Quietest Cherry MX: Cherry MX Brown

Logitech G710+ Mechanical Keyboard Cherry MX Brown

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The most popular and raved-about Cherry MX Brown keyboard is the Logitech G710+ as they include O-mods out-of-the-box to even further reduce the noise through dampening rings.


Best Mechanical Keyboard for Typing: Cherry MX Red vs Brown vs Blue:

If your looking for a mechanical keyboard which has a good feel for typing – look at the Cherry MX Brown keyboards. They provide a nice level of tactile feedback that can almost be described as a tactile bump when pressed – and hence you will definitely know when you press the key. Not so much with Cherry MX reds with a fully linear response with no real feedback until you hit the bottom of the swtich. Cherry MX reds are much more smooth in terms of tactile feedback and hence many may not prefer this when it comes to typing. Interestingly, many gamers do prefer the MX Reds as they are feather light and as a result its possible to type extremely fast with this type of mechanical keyboard. Ultimately, it will come down to your preference but if you are looking for more of a tactile response when coming to pressing your key – go for cherry MX brown. If not, and you perhaps prefer a light and simple button press, go for the Cherry MX red mechanical keyboard.

Cherry MX blue is another great option for typists and often favoured out of all the different types of Cherry MX’s due to them having a tactile bump and audible click – which is not present in Cherry MX red or brown. The weight of Cherry MX blues is pretty high too – at 50 cN – which gives the keyboard more feel that many typists prefer. It is, however, slightly harder to double tap with cherry MX blues due to their increased weighting and this is why it is less suitable for gaming when compared to Cherry MX brown or Cherry MX reds.

VERDICT: Cherry MX Blue

Rosewill Apollo Cherry MX Brown Mechanical Keyboard Best For Typing

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The most popular Cherry MX blue keyboard for typing is the Rosewill Mechanical Keyboard. It is no-thrills in design, but is extremely practical, comfortable and a real pleasure to use if you are doing a lot of typing.

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