Gazzew Boba U4 vs Gateron Silent Black
The Gazzew Boba U4 and the Gateron Silent Black are not the same kind of switch, so this comparison is settled by which stroke you want before a single number matters. Our full switch library links the two to each other for that reason. Play the A/B bursts below to hear them back to back, match the volumes, then read the spec 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 | Gazzew Boba U4 | Gateron Silent Black |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Tactile (silent) | Linear (silent) |
| Brand rates force at | bottom-out | actuation |
| Actuation force | not published | 60 g |
| Bottom-out force | 62 g | 70 g |
| Pre-travel | 1.7 mm | 2 mm |
| Total travel | 4 mm | 4 mm |
| Silent (dampened) | Yes | Yes |
| Factory lubed | Yes | Yes |
| MX-compatible stem | Yes | Yes |
| Price tier | Premium | Mid-range |
| Street price | varies | varies |
Watch the "brand rates force at" row: these two makers do not measure at the same place, bottom-out for the Gazzew Boba U4 and actuation for the Gateron Silent Black. Force numbers only compare within a row.
Verdict
These two sit in different camps, with the Gazzew Boba U4 built as a tactile and the Gateron Silent Black as a linear, so decide which stroke you want before anything else. The Gateron Silent Black is the cheaper board to fill by a full bracket, mid priced against premium priced. 8 g at bottom-out is a bracket apart, not a shade, and it is the Gateron Silent Black carrying the heavier end at 70 g. Our picks: the Gateron Silent Black for gaming, the Gazzew Boba U4 for typing and a shared office.
- Gaming pick
- Gateron Silent Black
- Typing pick
- Gazzew Boba U4
- Office pick
- Gazzew Boba U4
Force curves
Gazzew Boba U4
Gazzew rates this switch at its bottom-out and publishes no actuation force, so the marked bottom-out is the spec and the dashed line into it is an illustration of the stroke, not measured data.
Gateron Silent Black
Gazzew Boba U4 or Gateron Silent Black: the long answer
The table above already holds the answer. Here is what it means under a finger. The Gazzew Boba U4 is a tactile and the Gateron Silent Black is a linear, so the Gateron Silent Black runs smooth the whole way down while the Gazzew Boba U4 raises a bump at the point it registers. Springs split them by 8 g at bottom-out: 70 g for the Gateron Silent Black, 62 g for the Gazzew Boba U4. Same depth, different trigger point: 1.7 mm on the Gazzew Boba U4 against 2.0 mm on the Gateron Silent Black, both inside 4.0 mm. Settle the stroke you want to live with first and treat everything below as a tiebreak.
The ears usually get the last word here. Two different voices: near-silence with a firm tactile knock underneath on the Gazzew Boba U4, muffled, deeper press; quiet with substance on the Gateron Silent Black. Both carry factory dampening, so this is a contest between two of the quieter switches you can buy rather than a loud one against a quiet one. As everywhere on the site, these are simulations built from published specifications and documented character. Accurate enough to compare, not a recording.
On cost and convenience, the Gazzew Boba U4 is premium priced, while the Gateron Silent Black is mid priced. Both come factory lubed, so neither needs work out of the box.
This one genuinely splits. The Gateron Silent Black for games, because there is no event in the middle of the stroke to fight on a fast repeat. The Gazzew Boba U4 for writing, since the bump tells your fingers the key registered, which is most of what typists want. The Gazzew Boba U4 for an office, as the pads stop the bottom-out from traveling past your own desk. None of this beats hearing them yourself, which the player above lets you do in about a minute.
Want the full story on either switch? Read the dedicated Gazzew Boba U4 page and the Gateron Silent Black page. If you are here to check the board you already own, use our free keyboard tester.
Frequently asked questions
For gaming, should I buy the Gazzew Boba U4 or the Gateron Silent Black?
We pick the Gateron Silent Black for gaming. A linear stroke means nothing sits between one press and the next, and rapid inputs are where that pays.
Which of the Gazzew Boba U4 and the Gateron Silent Black is quieter in a shared room?
Neither wins on volume, because both are silenced. What separates them is what is left after the pads: the pitch of the press and how muted the release feels.
Which switch is heavier, the Gazzew Boba U4 or the Gateron Silent Black?
The Gateron Silent Black, by 8 g. Both figures are published at bottom-out, 70 g against 62 g, so they are measured at the same point and can be read straight.
Which is cheaper to fill a board with, the Gazzew Boba U4 or the Gateron Silent Black?
The Gateron Silent Black sits in the mid priced bracket and the Gazzew Boba U4 in the premium 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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