Cherry MX Red MX2A vs Gateron G Pro Red 3.0
The Cherry MX Red MX2A and the Gateron G Pro Red 3.0 are separated mostly by spring weight, 10 g of it at bottom-out, with the Cherry MX Red MX2A the firmer press and the Gateron G Pro Red 3.0 the easier one to hold down. Our library of every switch we simulate 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 Red MX2A | Gateron G Pro Red 3.0 |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Linear | Linear |
| Brand rates force at | actuation | actuation |
| Actuation force | 45 g | 45 g |
| Bottom-out force | 60 g (our estimate) | 50 g (our estimate) |
| Pre-travel | 2 mm | 2 mm |
| Total travel | 4 mm | 4 mm |
| Silent (dampened) | No | No |
| Factory lubed | Yes | Yes |
| MX-compatible stem | Yes | Yes |
| Price tier | Mid-range | Budget |
| Street price | varies | varies |
Cherry and Gateron 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. The two figures marked "our estimate" are our own derivation and not a manufacturer number, because neither Cherry nor Gateron publishes a bottom-out figure. What actuation force actually measures .
Verdict
Both the Cherry MX Red MX2A and the Gateron G Pro Red 3.0 are linears, so this matchup comes down to weight, travel and sound rather than feel. There is a real weight gap too: 60 g against 50 g at bottom-out, so the Cherry MX Red MX2A asks noticeably more of your fingers over a long session. Neither Cherry nor Gateron publishes a bottom-out figure, so both of those are our estimates. Budget also has a say, since the Gateron G Pro Red 3.0 is budget friendly and the Cherry MX Red MX2A is mid priced. Nothing here separates by use case: the Cherry MX Red MX2A is our pick for gaming and for typing, and it is the safer of the two in a shared room. Take the Gateron G Pro Red 3.0 only if you specifically want quieter, lube-sheened clack; smoother than standard Red.
- Overall pick
- Cherry MX Red MX2A
No use case rescues the Gateron G Pro Red 3.0 here. The Cherry MX Red MX2A wins gaming, typing and the office question alike, so the block collapses to one.
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.
Gateron G Pro Red 3.0
Gateron publishes no bottom-out force for this switch, so the 50 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 Gateron G Pro Red 3.0: the long answer
Read the spec sheet once, carefully, and most of this decision makes itself. The Cherry MX Red MX2A carries the heavier spring at bottom-out, 60 g to 50 g. That is a real 10 g without being a change of bracket. Neither Cherry nor Gateron publishes a bottom-out figure, so both of those are our estimates. Cherry and Gateron are both selling you linears here, so neither one puts a bump or a click in the way of the press. Distance is not the difference: both register at 2.0 mm and stop at 4.0 mm. Same stroke character, so the spring is the fact to weigh.
Sound is where most people finally pick a side. The Cherry MX Red MX2A sits at neutral mid-pitched clack with a faint scratch on the slide; the Gateron G Pro Red 3.0 answers with quieter, lube-sheened clack; smoother than standard Red. Worth repeating: the audio here is a simulation built from specs and community descriptions, not a recording of either switch.
On price and practicality, the Cherry MX Red MX2A is mid priced, while the Gateron G Pro Red 3.0 is budget friendly. Factory lube on both, so the smoothness you hear in the player is roughly the smoothness you get.
This one does not split. Every axis we score points the same direction: the Cherry MX Red MX2A is our pick for gaming, for typing and for a shared desk. On speed, the honest answer is that either would do, and it wins on a margin too small to feel. On typing feel, its keystroke stays consistent and comfortable across a full day of writing. On noise, it makes the least fuss of the pair in a shared space. That leaves the Gateron G Pro Red 3.0 to anyone who preferred its voice in the player above, which is a good enough reason on its own. Before you order either, match the volume trims above and hear them back to back.
There is more on both than a head-to-head can carry. Start with the Cherry MX Red MX2A page and the Gateron G Pro Red 3.0 page. Or leave switches aside for a minute and run your current keyboard through the free keyboard tester.
Frequently asked questions
For gaming, should I buy the Cherry MX Red MX2A or the Gateron G Pro Red 3.0?
We pick the Cherry MX Red MX2A for gaming. The two are close enough for gaming that either works; our scoring defaults to it by a small margin.
Which is quieter, the Cherry MX Red MX2A or the Gateron G Pro Red 3.0?
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 Gateron G Pro Red 3.0 is quieter, lube-sheened clack; smoother than standard Red.
Cherry MX Red MX2A vs Gateron G Pro Red 3.0: which one is the heavier press?
The Cherry MX Red MX2A, on the numbers we have: 60 g against 50 g at bottom-out. Read that as a guide rather than a like-for-like manufacturer comparison, because neither Cherry nor Gateron publishes a bottom-out figure, so both of those numbers are our own derivation from the forces they do publish.
Which is cheaper to fill a board with, the Cherry MX Red MX2A or the Gateron G Pro Red 3.0?
The Gateron G Pro Red 3.0 sits in the budget friendly bracket and the Cherry MX Red MX2A 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.
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