Cherry MX Speed Silver MX2A vs Gateron Red
The Cherry MX Speed Silver MX2A and the Gateron Red are separated mostly by spring weight, 15 g of it at bottom-out, with the Cherry MX Speed Silver MX2A the firmer press and the Gateron Red the easier one to hold down. Our full switch library puts these two on each other's shortlist, and the player below is the fastest way to settle it: match the volumes, then work down through the 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 Speed Silver MX2A | Gateron Red |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Linear | Linear |
| Brand rates force at | actuation | actuation |
| Actuation force | 45 g | 45 g |
| Bottom-out force | 70 g (our estimate) | 55 g (our estimate) |
| Pre-travel | 1.2 mm | 2 mm |
| Total travel | 3.4 mm | 4 mm |
| Silent (dampened) | No | No |
| Factory lubed | Yes | No |
| 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. Neither Cherry nor Gateron publishes a bottom-out figure, so the two figures marked "our estimate" are our own derivation from the forces that are published rather than a rating. What actuation force actually measures .
Verdict
Stroke character is a tie. Two linears feel alike under a finger, which pushes the decision onto the rows below the type row. The springs are far apart, with the Cherry MX Speed Silver MX2A at 70 g bottom-out versus 55 g for the Gateron Red, a gap you feel within a paragraph of typing. Neither Cherry nor Gateron publishes a bottom-out figure, so both of those are our estimates. Travel favors the Cherry MX Speed Silver MX2A: it registers at 1.2 mm where the Gateron Red needs 2.0 mm. We land on the Cherry MX Speed Silver MX2A for every use we score, and it is the one that carries less across a room, so the Gateron Red makes sense only if you preferred its voice in the player above.
- Overall pick
- Cherry MX Speed Silver MX2A
Our three scores agree on this pair. The Cherry MX Speed Silver MX2A takes all of them, which is why there is a single card above instead of three.
Force curves
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.
Gateron Red
Gateron publishes no bottom-out force for this switch, so the 55 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 or Gateron Red: the long answer
Start with feel, because it settles most switch arguments before sound comes up. The springs are a long way apart: 70 g against 55 g at bottom-out, so the Cherry MX Speed Silver MX2A asks noticeably more of your fingers across a long session. Neither Cherry nor Gateron publishes a bottom-out figure, so both of those are our estimates. On distance the Cherry MX Speed Silver MX2A registers at 1.2 mm against 2.0 mm, and the full stroke runs 3.4 mm on the Cherry MX Speed Silver MX2A against 4.0 mm on the Gateron Red. Type is not in play. Both are linears, and neither one puts a bump or a click in the way of the press. Everything else about them is close enough that the spring is the honest tiebreak.
The ears usually get the last word here. The Cherry MX Speed Silver MX2A sits at short, tight clack that arrives early; the Gateron Red answers with smooth, light clack with minimal scratch. Both packs are synthesized rather than recorded, so read the comparison as a faithful sketch of each voice and not as a measurement of it.
On the practical side, the Cherry MX Speed Silver MX2A is mid priced, while the Gateron Red is budget friendly. Only the Cherry MX Speed Silver MX2A comes factory lubed, so the Gateron Red asks for either an evening with a brush or tolerance of a drier stroke.
The scoring gives up trying to divide this pair: the Cherry MX Speed Silver MX2A is our pick for gaming, for typing and for a shared desk. On speed, a shorter distance to actuation goes its way. 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 Red to anyone who preferred its voice in the player above, which is a good enough reason on its own. Match the trims above, play both, and trust whichever one you keep replaying.
For either one on its own terms, read the Cherry MX Speed Silver MX2A page and the Gateron Red 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 Speed Silver MX2A or the Gateron Red?
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 Speed Silver MX2A or Gateron Red: 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 Speed Silver MX2A leans toward short, tight clack that arrives early, while the Gateron Red is smooth, light clack with minimal scratch.
Which has the heavier spring, the Cherry MX Speed Silver MX2A or the Gateron Red?
The Cherry MX Speed Silver MX2A on the figures this page carries, 70 g to 55 g at bottom-out, but the comparison is not manufacturer against manufacturer: 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 Speed Silver MX2A or the Gateron Red?
The Gateron Red sits in the budget friendly bracket and the Cherry MX Speed Silver 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.
More comparisons
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