Ok so apparently I like the DCS family keys. Also I found out the board is a Chicony. It appears that it's something in addition to the DCS that is making this easier to type on for me, though that's part of it, because I have a Lenovo Preferred Pro that is also DCS, but I feel like I need to stretch a bit more to reach keys while typing, so it's fatiguing. This makes isolating the issue more difficult because if it were just about being DCS, I could easily see that characteristic in other boards.
Looking at them both, the Lenovo's keys seem larger, so maybe it's a key pitch issue. Once I find out why my hands fall so well onto the Chicony/Gateway, I'll know how to shop for other boards I'll like, notably mechanical, which is why I'm obsessing over this. Or maybe the answer lies in meds.