What does a mechanical switch actually do?
Every key on a mechanical keyboard sits on its own switch: a small housing with a stem, a spring and a contact or sensor underneath. When you press the key, the stem travels down against the spring until it reaches the actuation point, where the keyboard registers the keystroke, and then continues to the bottom of its travel. This is different from a membrane keyboard, where a rubber dome under the whole board collapses to close a circuit printed on a sheet. Because each switch is a separate part, a mechanical keyboard lets you choose how a key feels, how hard it is to press, how far it moves before it registers and how loud it is. Most switches today use the cross-shaped stem introduced by Cherry MX, which is why keycaps from different brands usually fit each other. The main families are described by feel: linear, tactile and clicky.
Linear, tactile or clicky: which feel suits you?
Linear switches move straight down with smooth, even resistance from the spring and no bump along the way. Many gamers like them because nothing interrupts a fast double tap, and they are usually the quietest of the three, apart from the sound of the key bottoming out. Tactile switches add a small bump in the stem, typically near the actuation point, so your finger feels when the key has registered. Typists often prefer them because the bump makes it easier to stop pressing before bottoming out. Clicky switches combine a tactile bump with a mechanism, often a click jacket or click bar, that makes a sharp audible click at actuation. They give the clearest feedback but are noticeable on voice chat and in shared rooms. There is no objectively best type: if you can, try a switch tester, a small board with several sample switches, before committing to a whole keyboard.
- Linear: smooth, no bump, quietest of the three
- Tactile: a bump you feel at or near actuation
- Clicky: a bump plus an audible click
Actuation force and travel distance
Two numbers on a switch spec sheet describe how it behaves. Actuation force, given in grams or centinewtons, is how hard you must press before the key registers. Light switches around 35 to 45 g feel fast and easy, while heavier ones at 60 g and above reduce accidental presses for people who rest their fingers on the keys. Some manufacturers also list a bottom-out force, which is the spring pressure at the end of travel. Travel is given as two distances: pre-travel to the actuation point, commonly around 2 mm on standard switches, and total travel, commonly around 4 mm. Speed switches shorten pre-travel to roughly 1 to 1.2 mm so keys register earlier. Low-profile switches reduce total travel to around 3 mm for a thinner keyboard. Check the manufacturer data sheet for the exact figures of any switch you consider, since names alone do not tell you the force or travel.
Optical and Hall effect magnetic switches
Not every modern switch uses metal contacts. Optical switches register a press when the stem interrupts or uncovers a beam of light, which removes contact bounce and the small debounce delay that metal leaves need. Hall effect switches place a magnet in the stem and a sensor on the circuit board that measures the magnetic field, so the keyboard knows exactly how far down each key is at any moment rather than only whether it has passed a fixed point. That analogue reading allows an adjustable actuation point, set in software, often in steps of a tenth of a millimetre or finer. It also enables rapid trigger, where a key resets as soon as it starts moving up and activates again as soon as it starts moving down, instead of waiting to pass a fixed reset point. Rapid trigger is popular in competitive shooters for quick strafing. Magnetic keyboards need their own compatible switches and are not interchangeable with standard mechanical ones.
What are hot-swap sockets?
On a traditional mechanical keyboard every switch is soldered to the circuit board, so changing switches means desoldering dozens of joints. A hot-swap keyboard instead has sockets on the board that grip the switch pins, letting you pull a switch out with a small tool and push another in without soldering. This makes it easy to replace a faulty switch, try a different feel on a few keys or change the whole board later. Check two details before buying switches for a hot-swap board. First, whether the sockets accept 3-pin or 5-pin switches: 5-pin switches have two extra plastic legs for stability and fit a 3-pin board only after those legs are clipped off. Second, whether the board's switch sockets face north or south (the side the LED sits on), which can affect keycap clearance, since some Cherry-profile keycaps can catch on north-facing switches. Optical and magnetic keyboards usually support swapping too, but only within their own switch type.
Keyboard sizes: full, TKL, 75% and 65%
Layout size decides how much desk space the keyboard takes and how far your mouse hand sits from your typing hand. A full-size keyboard has around 104 keys in US layout, including the number pad on the right, which is useful for data entry and spreadsheets. Tenkeyless, or TKL, drops the number pad and keeps the function row, arrow keys and navigation cluster, freeing space for wider mouse movement. A 75% layout keeps the function row and arrows but packs the navigation keys into a single column next to the main block, so it is noticeably narrower than TKL. A 65% layout removes the function row as well, keeping arrows and a few navigation keys, with the F keys reached through a function layer. Smaller layouts also exist, such as 60%, which drops the arrows. UK layouts add one key and use a taller Enter key, so check the layout before ordering keycaps.
- Full size: number pad, function row, arrows, navigation cluster
- TKL: no number pad, everything else kept
- 75%: compact, function row and arrows kept
- 65%: no function row, arrows kept
How to choose for your setup
Start with layout, because it affects daily comfort more than anything else: keep a number pad if you use one often, otherwise a TKL, 75% or 65% board gives your mouse more room. Then pick the feel. Linear switches suit fast gaming inputs, tactile switches suit long typing sessions, and clicky switches suit people who want strong feedback and work alone. If you play competitive shooters and want an adjustable actuation point or rapid trigger, look at Hall effect boards specifically, as standard mechanical switches cannot offer those features. A hot-swap board is a sensible choice if you are unsure, since you can change switches later without buying a new keyboard. Finally, check connection type, whether wired, 2.4 GHz wireless or Bluetooth, and whether the keycaps are ABS or the more wear-resistant PBT. The keyboard is part of the build too, so plan it alongside the rest of your parts.