A Quiet Keyboard Makes Typing And Gaming More Quiet

Anyone who works in an office where several people work on one computer will be familiar with the annoying noise of clattering keyboards. A computer keyboard can be quite loud at times.

In my previous office, we even had a colleague who was pounding particularly loudly on his keyboard. This colleague had an ugly nickname after a short time, which related to his loud typing.

Despite multiple attempts, this colleague could not be stopped from hitting the keys like a world champion. He loved his old mechanical keyboard and didn’t want to part with it.

But computer keyboards can be annoying even when used alone. Loud keyboards are annoying to many people even at home. Either for the user himself or for family members and roommates.

In fact, keyboards differ significantly in terms of volume and mechanical keyboards can sometimes rattle quite loudly when the keyboard is operated.

Quite a few VDU workers are therefore looking for a quiet keyboard or for good tips to make an existing mechanical keyboard quieter.

Because you have exactly these two alternatives if you want to change something on the volume of your keyboard.

Make the keyboard quieter with O-rings (dampers)

If you want, you can first try to make your keyboard quieter with special O-rings. There are ready-made kits with enough O-rings that have to be installed under each individual button.

These O-rings are intended to reduce the volume of the stroke. In addition to the O-rings, some sets also contain a keycap remover. Such a keycap remover is used to easily remove the individual keys.

A particularly nice set is the ENHANCE repair kit for mechanical keyboard * , which is supplied with 140 clear silicone O-rings, keycap remover, cleaning brush, rag and accessory bag.

Keycap Remover (here an example) * can also be bought individually for little money, and are a good purchase anyway. Sometimes it happens that something falls on the keyboard and lands unfavorably under a key. The keys can be easily removed with a keycap remover. This also has advantages for cleaning the keyboard.

If you buy such a Noise Dampener / O-Ring Dampener (Key Silencer) set for keyboards, you should of course make sure that enough O-rings are included so that each individual key can be equipped with such an O-ring.

With such O-rings, however, the keystroke changes and thus the feeling when typing. Because such a ring shortens the key drop somewhat. You don’t have to press the buttons as far as you did before installing the O-rings.

However, it should be said that O-rings for the keyboard can only reduce the noise when pressing the keys. The noise that occurs when the keys are released is not affected by the O-rings under the keys.

Installing these o-rings is usually not particularly difficult and should not be a problem. The conversion is usually done quickly.

In the following video, two mechanical keyboards with Cherry MX Blue, Brown, and Black key switches (key technology for PC keyboards) demonstrate how the volume behaves with and without damping O-rings,

If you don’t want to take on the hassle of installing such O-rings for mechanical keyboards, you can of course simply get a new and quiet keyboard. Because even if

Buy a quiet keyboard

The keyboard market is huge. Computer keyboards come in many different designs and from a large number of manufacturers. In addition to wireless keyboards, illuminated keyboards and gaming keyboards, there are also particularly quiet and low-noise keyboards.

Although people occasionally look for a completely silent keyboard, that should be rather difficult. There will always be some noise when typing, so you have to be content with a quiet keyboard.

The Logitech K280e keyboard * is a very quiet and inexpensive keyboard , which I personally have been using every day for 2.5 years. Those who come from a loud mechanical keyboard will certainly have a little more peace of mind when typing with this model.

However, if you value the proven Cherry MX switches for mechanical keyboards and prefer it as quiet as possible, you can take a look at the Cherry MX Silent Red switches, which are described by the manufacturer as smooth and quiet. These switches contain patented noise damping and reliably minimize any operating noise.

A popular keyboard with Cherry MX Silent Red switches is, for example, the Corsair K70 RGB MK.2 * .

Quiet gaming keyboard

Gaming keyboards are mostly mechanical keyboards because gaming is about as short a response time as possible. This means that each button has its own switch.

Mechanical keyboards have a number of advantages that gamers will appreciate. Mechanical gaming keyboards are very responsive, precise and extremely robust and durable.

In addition, these keyboards transmit direct feedback when pressed, i.e. a clearly noticeable keystroke, which is pleasant and beneficial when gaming.

The usual adjustable RGB backlighting of illuminated gaming keyboards is also helpful in order to always hit the right keys in the dark.

Mechanical gaming keyboards also usually have anti-ghosting, a property that prevents certain key combinations from not working properly when several keys are pressed at the same time.

All of these properties contribute to the fact that gamers can hit the right keys faster and more reliably during the game. And that, in turn, is a component of success in the game.

However, mechanical keyboards have a rather unfavorable characteristic. Because these are usually louder than rubber dome keyboards.

So is a quiet gaming keyboard a utopia?

Is a quiet gaming keyboard (mechanically) really quiet?

There are definitely “quiet” mechanical gaming keyboards. However, these cannot be compared with the sound of rubber dome keyboards, since these input devices are still mechanical keyboards.

So you could perhaps say that a quiet gaming keyboard is a little less noisy mechanical keyboard.

Quiet gaming keyboard Corsair K70 RGB MK.2 (Cherry MX Silent)

A very popular quiet gaming keyboard is the Corsair K70 RGB MK.2 (Cherry MX Silent: smooth-running and whisper-quiet), which you can view here on Amazon * .

This keyboard is a robust and mechanical quiet gaming keyboard, which is equipped with CHERRY MX silent key switches.

According to the manufacturer, the Cherry MX Silent switches shine with a 30% lower noise level.

But the other properties are also impressive. The robustness of this mechanical gaming keyboard is not only expressed in the good workmanship, but also in the frame made of brushed anodized aircraft aluminum.

Features such as anti-ghosting, the multi-colored RGB backlighting of individual keys and a removable soft-touch palm rest round off this package.

Why a quiet gaming keyboard makes sense

But why should you use a quiet gaming keyboard at all?

Well, a loud and clicking keystroke is sometimes annoying when gaming. Not only for yourself, but also for other people in the household.

Clack, clack, clack, clack, clack … that can be quite annoying in the long run.

When it comes to voice chat or streaming at the latest, the acceptance of a loud clacking mechanical keyboard often drops dramatically. After all, you want to concentrate on the chat or the gameplay, and not on the constant loud clicking of the keyboard.

So it would be nice if you could fall back on the many positive properties of a mechanical keyboard, but still produce a little less noise when you press the keys.

Or?

Conclusion

Ultimately, however, it is very difficult to recommend a specific keyboard, as the feeling when typing is very individual. When it comes to typing, everyone has their own preferences and different requirements for a keyboard.

Basically you can say that nowadays you can get a professional, high-quality and quiet keyboard without any problems if you want. And quite a few people who work or play a lot on the computer do themselves a great long-term favor with a quiet keyboard.