Cherry MX Low Profile Speed vs Cherry MX Speed Silver MX2A
Check compatibility before feel on this pair: the Cherry MX Low Profile Speed will not drop into the same board as the other one, which narrows the choice for most people to whatever their keyboard accepts. 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 Low Profile Speed | Cherry MX Speed Silver MX2A |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Linear | Linear |
| Brand rates force at | actuation | actuation |
| Actuation force | 45 g | 45 g |
| Bottom-out force | not published | 70 g (our estimate) |
| Pre-travel | 1 mm | 1.2 mm |
| Total travel | 3.2 mm | 3.4 mm |
| Silent (dampened) | No | No |
| Factory lubed | No | Yes |
| MX-compatible stem | Yes | Yes |
| Price tier | Mid-range | Mid-range |
| Street price | varies | varies |
Cherry advertises an actuation force for both of these, so the two headline figures in this table are measured at the same point and can be read against each other. The figure marked "our estimate" is our own derivation and not a manufacturer number, because Cherry publishes no bottom-out figure for the Cherry MX Speed Silver MX2A. How that derivation works .
Verdict
Cherry is on both sides of this one and both are linears, so the question is which of its own linears suits you. They also do not fit the same keyboard: the Cherry MX Low Profile Speed is low profile and needs a low-profile board and keycaps. Both are rated 45 g at actuation, the only measuring point with a published figure for each, so the spec sheet will not settle weight. The scoring splits them: the Cherry MX Low Profile Speed for gaming, the Cherry MX Speed Silver MX2A for typing and a shared office.
- Gaming pick
- Cherry MX Low Profile Speed
- Typing pick
- Cherry MX Speed Silver MX2A
- Office pick
- Cherry MX Speed Silver MX2A
Force curves
Cherry MX Low Profile Speed
Cherry publishes no bottom-out force for this switch, so the dashed end of the curve is an estimate, not a spec. Everything up to actuation comes from the published numbers.
Cherry MX Speed Silver MX2A
Cherry publishes no bottom-out force for this switch, so the 70 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.
Cherry MX Low Profile Speed or Cherry MX Speed Silver MX2A: the long answer
Before anything else, check that both of these will go into the board you own. The Cherry MX Low Profile Speed is a low-profile switch, so it needs a low-profile board and low-profile keycaps and cannot be dropped into a standard-height board alongside the other. Both are mid 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.
On to the mechanical side. Type is not the difference here. Both are linears, and nothing sits between the top of either key and the bottom. They land on the same 45 g at actuation. That is the only measuring point with a figure for each of them, and bottom-out is exactly where two switches matched at actuation tend to separate. Cherry publishes no bottom-out figure, so treat that 70 g as our estimate. Neither the trigger point nor the depth matches: 1.0 mm to actuation on the Cherry MX Low Profile Speed against 1.2 mm, and 3.2 mm of total travel on the Cherry MX Low Profile Speed against 3.4 mm. Same family of stroke, so read the detail rather than the headline.
The ears usually get the last word here. Played back to back, the Cherry MX Low Profile Speed is shallow and fast; a quick, clipped tick against short, tight clack that arrives early from the Cherry MX Speed Silver MX2A. These demos are synthesized from published specs and documented character rather than studio recordings, which every player on the site says plainly.
Who buys which, then? Gaming goes to the Cherry MX Low Profile Speed, because this axis is nearly a tie, and it comes out ahead only once the scoring is added up. Writing goes to the Cherry MX Speed Silver MX2A, since its keystroke stays consistent and comfortable across a full day of writing. A shared room goes to the Cherry MX Speed Silver MX2A, as it is the quieter of the two once the room is listening. Do the listening first. It costs nothing and it changes minds more often than a spec table does.
There is more on both than a head-to-head can carry. Start with the Cherry MX Low Profile Speed page and the Cherry MX Speed Silver MX2A page. If you are here to check the board you already own, use our free keyboard tester.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Cherry MX Low Profile Speed or the Cherry MX Speed Silver MX2A the better gaming switch?
We pick the Cherry MX Low Profile Speed for gaming. The two are close enough for gaming that either works; our scoring defaults to it by a small margin.
Which of the Cherry MX Low Profile Speed and the Cherry MX Speed Silver MX2A is quieter in a shared room?
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 Low Profile Speed leans toward shallow and fast; a quick, clipped tick, while the Cherry MX Speed Silver MX2A is short, tight clack that arrives early.
Cherry MX Low Profile Speed vs Cherry MX Speed Silver MX2A: which one is the heavier press?
Neither, as far as the published numbers go: both are rated 45 g at actuation, the only measuring point with a published figure for each. Bottom-out is where two switches matched at actuation often diverge, but neither switch here has a published bottom-out figure at all. Treat this as a tie on the spec sheet rather than a proven match in the hand.
Can the Cherry MX Low Profile Speed and the Cherry MX Speed Silver MX2A go in the same keyboard?
Not the same board, no. The Cherry MX Low Profile Speed is a low-profile switch and needs a low-profile board and low-profile keycaps; the Cherry MX Speed Silver MX2A is standard height. They are alternatives to each other only if you are choosing the keyboard at the same time.
More comparisons
More vs Cherry MX Low Profile Speed
More vs Cherry MX Speed Silver MX2A
Or browse every switch comparison on the site.