Akko V3 Cream Yellow Pro vs Gateron Oil King
The Akko V3 Cream Yellow Pro and the Gateron Oil King sit in different price brackets, which across the 70-odd switches a board needs is a bigger difference than most of the spec sheet. Our switch library puts these two on each other's shortlist, and the player below is the fastest way to settle it: match the volumes, then work down through the table and the verdict.
Hear them back to back
simulated from real specssound loads on your first tapShortcuts: press A or B anywhere outside a text box to fire that burst. Use the volume trims to loudness-match the pair before judging which sounds better.
Spec by spec
| Spec | Akko V3 Cream Yellow Pro | Gateron Oil King |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Linear | Linear |
| Brand rates force at | actuation | actuation |
| Actuation force | 50 g | 55 g |
| Bottom-out force | 55 g (our estimate) | 80 g |
| Pre-travel | 2 mm | 2 mm |
| Total travel | 3.3 mm | 4 mm |
| Silent (dampened) | No | No |
| Factory lubed | Yes | Yes |
| MX-compatible stem | Yes | Yes |
| Price tier | Budget | Mid-range |
| Street price | varies | ~$0.65 / switch |
Akko and Gateron both advertise an actuation force, so the two headline figures in this table are measured at the same point and can be read against each other. Akko publishes no bottom-out figure for the Akko V3 Cream Yellow Pro, so the figure marked "our estimate" is our own derivation from the forces that are published rather than a rating. How we derive a bottom-out figure .
Verdict
The Akko V3 Cream Yellow Pro and the Gateron Oil King are both linears, so nothing separates them at the fingertip until you look at springs and acoustics. Price splits them too: the Akko V3 Cream Yellow Pro is the budget friendly option while the Gateron Oil King sits in the mid priced bracket, which adds up across a 70 switch board. Weight is nearly even at actuation: 55 g for the Gateron Oil King against 50 g, a gap most fingers will barely register. The Akko V3 Cream Yellow Pro comes out ahead of the Gateron Oil King for gaming and for typing, and it is the safer of the two in a shared room, so this comparison has one answer instead of a set of them.
- Overall pick
- Akko V3 Cream Yellow Pro
Our three scores agree on this pair. The Akko V3 Cream Yellow Pro takes all of them, which is why there is a single card above instead of three.
Force curves
Akko V3 Cream Yellow Pro
Akko publishes no bottom-out force for this switch, so the 55 g at the end of the stroke is our estimate and the run into it is dashed. Everything up to actuation comes from the published numbers. How we derive it.
Gateron Oil King
Akko V3 Cream Yellow Pro or Gateron Oil King: the long answer
Start with what these cost to fill a board, because that is the widest gap between them. The Akko V3 Cream Yellow Pro is budget friendly, while the Gateron Oil King is mid priced at roughly $0.65 per switch, about $46 for a typical 70 pack. Both come factory lubed, so neither needs work out of the box.
That leaves the stroke itself. They register at the same 2.0 mm, then part company on depth: 4.0 mm on the Gateron Oil King against 3.3 mm on the Akko V3 Cream Yellow Pro. The Gateron Oil King carries the heavier spring at actuation, 55 g to 50 g. That is a real 5 g without being a change of bracket. Both are linears either way, so both give you spring resistance and nothing else. Nothing here is decisive on its own, which is why the sound comparison matters more than usual on this pair.
Sound is where most people finally pick a side. Through the A/B player above, the Akko V3 Cream Yellow Pro comes through as muted creamy thock, budget icon, while the Gateron Oil King reads as deep, muted, oily thock; dark and full-bodied. The usual caveat applies. Nothing here is a studio recording; both packs are synthesized from published specs, and the players say so.
The scoring gives up trying to divide this pair: the Akko V3 Cream Yellow Pro is our pick for gaming, for typing and for a shared desk. On speed, the honest answer is that either would do, and it wins on a margin too small to feel. On typing feel, its keystroke stays consistent and comfortable across a full day of writing. On noise, it is the quieter of the two once the room is listening. That leaves the Gateron Oil King to anyone who preferred its voice in the player above, which is a good enough reason on its own. The player above is the cheapest part of this decision, so use it before your wallet is involved.
Want the full story on either switch? Read the dedicated Akko V3 Cream Yellow Pro page and the Gateron Oil King page. Or leave switches aside for a minute and run your current keyboard through the free keyboard tester.
Frequently asked questions
Which is better for gaming, the Akko V3 Cream Yellow Pro or the Gateron Oil King?
We pick the Akko V3 Cream Yellow Pro for gaming. This is close to a coin toss. The scoring hands it over by a margin you would not feel in a match.
Which of the Akko V3 Cream Yellow Pro and the Gateron Oil King is quieter in a shared room?
Volume is roughly a wash: no dampening and no click mechanism on either, so your typing force and your case decide the level. The character is not a wash, with the Akko V3 Cream Yellow Pro reading as muted creamy thock, budget icon against deep, muted, oily thock; dark and full-bodied from the Gateron Oil King.
Which switch is heavier, the Akko V3 Cream Yellow Pro or the Gateron Oil King?
The Gateron Oil King. Both brands publish at actuation, which makes 55 g against 50 g an honest 5 g rather than two numbers from different rulers.
Which is cheaper to fill a board with, the Akko V3 Cream Yellow Pro or the Gateron Oil King?
The Akko V3 Cream Yellow Pro sits in the budget friendly bracket and the Gateron Oil King in the mid priced one. We do not hold a reliable per-switch price for both, so the bracket is the honest answer rather than a total.
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