Cherry MX Black MX2A vs NovelKeys NK Cream
The Cherry MX Black MX2A and the NovelKeys NK Cream 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 full switch library cross-links them because this matchup keeps coming up. Start with the A/B bursts below, then take the spec table and the picks in order.
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 | Cherry MX Black MX2A | NovelKeys NK Cream |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Linear | Linear |
| Brand rates force at | actuation | actuation |
| Actuation force | 60 g | 55 g |
| Bottom-out force | 80 g (our estimate) | 70 g |
| Pre-travel | 2 mm | 2 mm |
| Total travel | 4 mm | 4 mm |
| Silent (dampened) | No | No |
| Factory lubed | Yes | No |
| MX-compatible stem | Yes | Yes |
| Price tier | Mid-range | Premium |
| Street price | varies | varies |
Cherry and NovelKeys 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. Cherry publishes no bottom-out figure for the Cherry MX Black MX2A, so the figure marked "our estimate" is our own derivation from the forces that are published rather than a rating. How that derivation works .
Verdict
Both the Cherry MX Black MX2A and the NovelKeys NK Cream are linears, so this matchup comes down to weight, travel and sound rather than feel. Budget also has a say, since the Cherry MX Black MX2A is mid priced and the NovelKeys NK Cream is premium priced. The Cherry MX Black MX2A is the firmer of the two at actuation, 60 g to 55 g, though 5 g is not much to choose between. The scoring splits them: the NovelKeys NK Cream for gaming, the Cherry MX Black MX2A for typing and a shared office.
- Gaming pick
- NovelKeys NK Cream
- Typing pick
- Cherry MX Black MX2A
- Office pick
- Cherry MX Black MX2A
Force curves
Cherry MX Black MX2A
Cherry publishes no bottom-out force for this switch, so the 80 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.
NovelKeys NK Cream
Cherry MX Black MX2A or NovelKeys NK Cream: the long answer
Cost is the honest headline on this pair, so take it first. The Cherry MX Black MX2A is mid priced, while the NovelKeys NK Cream is premium priced. One of them has already been lubed for you and one has not, which is worth more than the price gap if you were not planning to open 70 switches.
The specs are the smaller half of this pair, but they are not nothing. At actuation they sit 5 g apart, 60 g against 55 g, close enough that lube and housing will decide the feel before the spring does. Cherry and NovelKeys are both selling you linears here, so both give you spring resistance and nothing else. Travel is a straight match, 2.0 mm of pre-travel and 4.0 mm in full on both. Same family of stroke, so read the detail rather than the headline.
Sound decides more of these arguments than force curves do. Put them through the player above and the Cherry MX Black MX2A lands as deeper, firmer bottom-out than Red; controlled and solid where the NovelKeys NK Cream lands as unique rounded POM clack-thock, deep and resonant. Worth repeating: the audio here is a simulation built from specs and community descriptions, not a recording of either switch.
All three questions get different answers on this pair. Fast inputs: the NovelKeys NK Cream, because the two are close enough here that either works, and our scoring gives it the nod by a hair. A long draft: the Cherry MX Black MX2A, since it holds the same feel from the first hour of writing to the last. A room with other people in it: the Cherry MX Black MX2A, as it is the one of these two you would not apologize for. Whichever way you land, listen to both above with the volume trims matched before you spend anything.
Want the full story on either switch? Read the dedicated Cherry MX Black MX2A page and the NovelKeys NK Cream page, or test how your current keyboard performs with our free keyboard tester.
Frequently asked questions
Which is better for gaming, the Cherry MX Black MX2A or the NovelKeys NK Cream?
We pick the NovelKeys NK Cream for gaming. Honestly either is fine here. It takes the nod once the scoring is added up, and only just.
Which is quieter, the Cherry MX Black MX2A or the NovelKeys NK Cream?
They are close. Neither is a silent switch and neither clicks, so loudness depends mostly on how hard you bottom out and the board they sit in. Their character differs though: the Cherry MX Black MX2A leans toward deeper, firmer bottom-out than Red; controlled and solid, while the NovelKeys NK Cream is unique rounded POM clack-thock, deep and resonant.
Cherry MX Black MX2A vs NovelKeys NK Cream: which one is the heavier press?
The Cherry MX Black MX2A, and the comparison is clean: actuation on both sides, 60 g to 55 g.
Which is cheaper to fill a board with, the Cherry MX Black MX2A or the NovelKeys NK Cream?
The Cherry MX Black MX2A sits in the mid priced bracket and the NovelKeys NK Cream 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.
More comparisons
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