“Thanks to an actuation point of 1.2 millimeters and the resulting, extremely short travel as well as a low activation force of only 45 cN, this high-precision linear switch is optimized for both low response times and high switching frequencies,” reads Cherry’s announcement of the switch.
It’s true that the Cherry MX Speed switch has a smaller actuation than any other MX switch, but as Tom’s Hardware author Seth Colaner points out, the difference is less than a millimeter. Most people won’t notice much of a difference, and the activation force of 45cN is actually identical to the MX Red.
Cherry makes the switches that click and clack in most mechanical gaming keyboards on the market. The new Speed switch is currently available only in Corsair keyboards; other keyboard makers have to wait six months to offer the speed switch. The Speed switch is currently offered in the Corsair K70, K70 RGB, and K65 RGB Rapidfire Keyboards. Here’s the breakdown:
| K70, $130 | K70 RGB, $170 | K65 RGB, $140/$150 |
|---|---|---|
| Cherry MX Red | Cherry MX Red | Cherry MX Red $150 |
| Cherry MX Speed (gray) | Cherry MX Speed (gray) | Cherry MX Speed (gray), $140 |
| Cherry MX Brown | Cherry MX Brown | |
| Cherry MX Red (w/blue backlighting) | ||
| Cherry MX Blue |
The K70 offers a wide range of switches, including the Speed, while the K65 RGB is offered only with MX Red or MX Speed switches. Notably, the K65RGB is $10 cheaper when ordered with the MX Speed switch.
The MX Speed switch is available in solid gray plastic (hence the name Silver), but also in the transparent plastic necessary for backlit RGB keys.
This all makes the process of buying a mechanical keyboard just a little bit more complicated, but mechanical keyboard enthusiasts are nothing if not choosy. Even the slightest improvement over previous models will likely be greeted with enthusiasm.
