1. It sounds like Cherry MX red switches are the best for gaming due to the fact that they have very low G? 35G or something? Frankly i am little lost on this G rating It sounds like its measuring the force it takes for the button to register? the lower it is the faster it registers your keypress or depress?
No one has said their the best the difference is they are linear. And unlike the mx blacks being 40g start, 60g actuation, and 80g bottoming out plus having a short-thick spring. Reds are almost brown area around 35-45-60.
Notice the thickness and difference of mxB vs the othersLight linear. Linears are mentioned for gaming because tactility is ignored and just interrupts as in the blues with the actuating point and release point at different areas.
Browns are recommended a lot because they can feel linear but provide tactility when desired and fairly light. MX black is hard to recommend due to the sheer resistance of the switch.
G = grams(cN centiNewtons).
While i don't mind the keyboard clicky noise i don't want it overly loud. I heard the red and brown switches are some of the quieter ones which is good. I have a desk mic and i think my mic would pick up the clicks. =(
Clicks are hard to describe without being in person most audio expands sounds not normally heard or amplify the noise. Plus it depends on the person if you bottom out, you make more noise. But if you learn to type based on the tactile feedback and not bottom out then the noise is reduced. Audio clips on this site and around the internet help but it's one of those in person thing. People have said that others can pick up noise from typing over voice comms but it's nothing they found particularly annoying, but it also depends on audio equipment and quality of said equipment.
Yeah browns are quieter, no deliberate noise mechanism all noise is from use or bottoming out.
4. I notice that MX blue and black are popular even tho they are 60G to 80G or something. Why is this? Does the higher G ratings make typing better for fast typers? =P
No blues are around 50g, while mx black are 60g. The big difference is one momentarily rises in force all the way up to 50g. Provide a tactile feedback with a click. Blues are popular due to their medium resistance, tactile feedback, the obvious click, and the fact it's the most distinct and different switch compared to a standard membrane dome so it has a fun factor albeit for serious gaming it can cause some issues due to the fact you need to fully or almost fully depress because the actuation and release points are far apart. And the individualist clicks being annoying in a quite setting.
But non-the less they are light years ahead of membrane domes.
Just like the mx black people may not like to type on them because they are so resistive but are far better than what most buy.
The mx black on the other hand are linear-progressive, linear; a straight or almost straight line and progressive; subtly rising in force with no tactility just straight down. These are popular because they feel very smooth, very quiet due to lack of key chatter though bottoming out can be a different story, are resistive to accidental key presses and have a very almost dead center deadzone. But they can be very fatiguing and tiresome for typing or even gaming as it is a heavy switch.
No, higher force doesn't translate to faster typing. It's dependent on the person some people like higher force, some like a lot of tactility etc.etc. Though I'm sure there comes a point were something is too light or too heavy that it interferes with typing.
5. What are the advantages of other mechanical keyboards? I see people paying $100 for a model M but i don't know why. Sure its a good mechanical keyboard but what advantages does it have over the newer mechanical keyboards? Any benefits being used as a gamer keyboard?
No way a Model M sells for that typically. You probably ran into a specific rarity of the buckling spring keyboards or the guy is trying to be slick. Most are probably well below 40 dollars, but if you encounter rares ones they can easily reach 300-400.
Buckling spring is not mechanical it's a whole different technology.
Unfortunately the term "mechanical" has fallen into two categories. An umbrella general term and a "mech = old, noisy technology". Not all switches fall into a single category.
People like buckling spring because despite their heavy feel. Have very strong, sharp tactility, are built like tanks some weighing in at 3-4 pounds, have high-quality double-shot molded keycaps or dye sublimated and even 25+ years still work with a small adapter in cases of incompatibility.
