Cherry MX Red MX2A vs Cherry MX Speed Silver MX2A
The Cherry MX Red MX2A and the Cherry MX Speed Silver MX2A register at different depths, 0.8 mm apart, which is the kind of difference you feel in a game long before you notice it in a spec table. Our 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 | Cherry MX Red MX2A | Cherry MX Speed Silver MX2A |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Linear | Linear |
| Brand rates force at | actuation | actuation |
| Actuation force | 45 g | 45 g |
| Bottom-out force | 60 g (our estimate) | 70 g (our estimate) |
| Pre-travel | 2 mm | 1.2 mm |
| Total travel | 4 mm | 3.4 mm |
| Silent (dampened) | No | No |
| Factory lubed | Yes | 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. Cherry publishes no bottom-out figure for either of these, so the two figures marked "our estimate" are our own derivation from the forces that are published rather than a rating. How we derive a bottom-out figure .
Verdict
Both the Cherry MX Red MX2A and the Cherry MX Speed Silver MX2A are linears, so this matchup comes down to weight, travel and sound rather than feel. Travel favors the Cherry MX Speed Silver MX2A: it registers at 1.2 mm where the Cherry MX Red MX2A needs 2.0 mm. Weight separates them clearly: measured at bottom-out, the Cherry MX Speed Silver MX2A is 10 g heavier than the Cherry MX Red MX2A, which changes both fatigue and sound. Cherry publishes no bottom-out figure at all, so both of those are our estimates. By use case, then: the Cherry MX Speed Silver MX2A for gaming, the Cherry MX Red MX2A for typing and a shared office.
- Gaming pick
- Cherry MX Speed Silver MX2A
- Typing pick
- Cherry MX Red MX2A
- Office pick
- Cherry MX Red MX2A
Force curves
Cherry MX Red MX2A
Cherry publishes no bottom-out force for this switch, so the 60 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 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 Red MX2A or Cherry MX Speed Silver MX2A: the long answer
Start with feel, because it settles most switch arguments before sound comes up. Travel differs at both ends, with the Cherry MX Speed Silver MX2A registering first at 1.2 mm and the Cherry MX Red MX2A running deepest at 4.0 mm. The Cherry MX Speed Silver MX2A carries the heavier spring at bottom-out, 70 g to 60 g. That is a real 10 g without being a change of bracket. Cherry publishes no bottom-out figure at all, so both of those are our estimates. The stroke itself is shared: nothing sits between the top of either key and the bottom. With the stroke shared, that spring gap does most of the deciding here.
Now the part spec sheets cannot carry: the voice. Put them through the player above and the Cherry MX Red MX2A lands as neutral mid-pitched clack with a faint scratch on the slide where the Cherry MX Speed Silver MX2A lands as short, tight clack that arrives early. 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.
On what they cost to fill a board, both are mid priced. Both arrive lubed from the factory, which is one project you can skip either way.
Answer the use case and the switch follows. Games point at the Cherry MX Speed Silver MX2A, because a shorter distance to actuation goes its way. Writing points at the Cherry MX Red MX2A, since its keystroke stays consistent and comfortable across a full day of writing. A shared room points at the Cherry MX Red MX2A, as it is the quieter of the two once the room is listening. Whichever way you land, listen to both above with the volume trims matched before you spend anything.
There is more on both than a head-to-head can carry. Start with the Cherry MX Red MX2A 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
Which is better for gaming, the Cherry MX Red MX2A or the Cherry MX Speed Silver MX2A?
We pick the Cherry MX Speed Silver MX2A for gaming. Of the two it has the quicker, less intrusive stroke, winning on a shorter distance to actuation.
Cherry MX Red MX2A or Cherry MX Speed Silver MX2A: which one is quieter?
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 Red MX2A leans toward neutral mid-pitched clack with a faint scratch on the slide, while the Cherry MX Speed Silver MX2A is short, tight clack that arrives early.
Which switch is heavier, the Cherry MX Red MX2A or the Cherry MX Speed Silver MX2A?
The Cherry MX Speed Silver MX2A on the figures this page carries, 70 g to 60 g at bottom-out, but the comparison is not manufacturer against manufacturer: Cherry publishes no bottom-out figure at all, so both of those numbers are our own derivation from the forces it does publish.
More comparisons
More vs Cherry MX Red MX2A
More vs Cherry MX Speed Silver MX2A
Or browse every switch comparison on the site.