Cherry MX Nature White vs Gateron Yellow
The Gateron Yellow and the Cherry MX Nature White 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 already points each of these at the other. Hear them back to back below with the trims matched before you read a single number.
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 Nature White | Gateron Yellow |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Linear | Linear |
| Brand rates force at | actuation | actuation |
| Actuation force | 55 g | 50 g |
| Bottom-out force | not published | not published |
| Pre-travel | 2 mm | 2 mm |
| Total travel | 4 mm | 4 mm |
| Silent (dampened) | No | No |
| Factory lubed | No | No |
| MX-compatible stem | Yes | Yes |
| Price tier | Mid-range | Budget |
| Street price | varies | varies |
Both makers rate these at actuation, which is the one case where the advertised numbers compare directly. Every other force row still has to be matched basis to basis.
Verdict
Stroke character is a tie. Two linears feel alike under a finger, which pushes the decision onto the rows below the type row. Price splits them too: the Gateron Yellow is the budget friendly option while the Cherry MX Nature White sits in the mid priced bracket, which adds up across a 70 switch board. Their springs sit close together, just 5 g apart at actuation, with the Cherry MX Nature White the marginally firmer press. Split by use: the Gateron Yellow for gaming and typing, the Cherry MX Nature White for a shared office.
- Gaming pick
- Gateron Yellow
- Typing pick
- Gateron Yellow
- Office pick
- Cherry MX Nature White
Force curves
Cherry MX Nature White
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.
Gateron Yellow
Gateron 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 Nature White or Gateron Yellow: the long answer
Start with what these cost to fill a board, because that is the widest gap between them. The Cherry MX Nature White is mid priced, while the Gateron Yellow is budget friendly. Neither ships lubed, so budget an evening with a brush if you want either at its best.
Now the part the spec table measures. Springs split them by 5 g at actuation: 55 g for the Cherry MX Nature White, 50 g for the Gateron Yellow. Cherry and Gateron 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 Nature White lands as balanced clack, sitting between Red's lightness and Black's depth where the Gateron Yellow lands as smooth, slightly deep clack; famously good for the money. One caveat we repeat wherever a player appears: no studio recording sits behind either of these. They are built from what each maker publishes and what the community reports.
Who buys which, then? Everything except noise points at the Gateron Yellow. For fast inputs, the honest answer is that either would do, and it wins on a margin too small to feel. Across a long writing session, it holds the same feel from the first hour of writing to the last. Noise points the other way, to the Cherry MX Nature White, 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.
Want the full story on either switch? Read the dedicated Cherry MX Nature White page and the Gateron Yellow 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 Cherry MX Nature White or the Gateron Yellow?
We pick the Gateron Yellow for gaming. Honestly either is fine here. It takes the nod once the scoring is added up, and only just.
Cherry MX Nature White or Gateron Yellow: which one is quieter?
Nothing in either one is built to reduce noise, so on raw volume this is a tie decided by your keyboard rather than your switch. What you will actually hear is a difference of pitch and texture, which the player above shows better than a sentence can.
Cherry MX Nature White vs Gateron Yellow: which one is the heavier press?
The Cherry MX Nature White, by 5 g. Both figures are published at actuation, 55 g against 50 g, so they are measured at the same point and can be read straight.
Which is cheaper to fill a board with, the Cherry MX Nature White or the Gateron Yellow?
The Gateron Yellow sits in the budget friendly bracket and the Cherry MX Nature White 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.
More comparisons
More vs Cherry MX Nature White
Or browse every switch comparison on the site.