Durock Dolphin vs Gateron Silent Black
The Durock Dolphin and the Gateron Silent Black are separated mostly by spring weight, 12 g of it at actuation, with the Gateron Silent Black the firmer press and the Durock Dolphin the easier one to hold down. Our 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 | Durock Dolphin | Gateron Silent Black |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Linear (silent) | Linear (silent) |
| Brand rates force at | bottom-out | actuation |
| Actuation force | 48 g | 60 g |
| Bottom-out force | 62 g | 70 g |
| Pre-travel | 2 mm | 2 mm |
| Total travel | 3.8 mm | 4 mm |
| Silent (dampened) | Yes | Yes |
| Factory lubed | Yes | Yes |
| MX-compatible stem | Yes | Yes |
| Price tier | Premium | Mid-range |
| Street price | varies | varies |
Watch the "brand rates force at" row: these two makers do not measure at the same place, bottom-out for the Durock Dolphin and actuation for the Gateron Silent Black. Force numbers only compare within a row.
Verdict
Durock and Gateron are selling the same stroke here, so the Durock Dolphin and the Gateron Silent Black separate on spring, distance and voice instead. Weight separates them clearly: measured at actuation, the Gateron Silent Black is 12 g heavier than the Durock Dolphin, which changes both fatigue and sound. Price splits them too: the Gateron Silent Black is the mid priced option while the Durock Dolphin sits in the premium priced bracket, which adds up across a 70 switch board. Where we land: the Durock Dolphin for gaming and a shared office, the Gateron Silent Black for typing.
- Gaming pick
- Durock Dolphin
- Typing pick
- Gateron Silent Black
- Office pick
- Durock Dolphin
Force curves
Durock Dolphin
Gateron Silent Black
Durock Dolphin or Gateron Silent Black: the long answer
Specs first, since the feel gap is what you notice in the first minute of typing. The spread at actuation is 12 g, 60 g on the Gateron Silent Black against 48 g on the Durock Dolphin, which puts them in different weight brackets rather than two shades of one. Both are linears either way, so nothing sits between the top of either key and the bottom. They register at the same 2.0 mm, then part company on depth: 4.0 mm on the Gateron Silent Black against 3.8 mm on the Durock Dolphin. Everything else about them is close enough that the spring is the honest tiebreak.
Now the part spec sheets cannot carry: the voice. Played back to back, the Durock Dolphin is muted deeper patter, low-pitched hush against muffled, deeper press; quiet with substance from the Gateron Silent Black. Dampening pads are on both, which puts the whole comparison inside a narrow band of volume and moves it onto tone. The usual caveat applies. Nothing here is a studio recording; both packs are synthesized from published specs, and the players say so.
On price and practicality, the Durock Dolphin is premium priced, while the Gateron Silent Black is mid priced. Both come factory lubed, so neither needs work out of the box.
So who should buy which? For gaming we lean toward the Durock Dolphin, because this axis is nearly a tie, and it comes out ahead only once the scoring is added up. For long typing sessions the Gateron Silent Black makes the stronger case, since nothing about it gets tiring by the afternoon, which is the whole test for a writing switch. And if your keyboard shares a room with other people, the Durock Dolphin is the one we would trust, as its dampening keeps the sound from carrying across the room. The player above is the cheapest part of this decision, so use it before your wallet is involved.
There is more on both than a head-to-head can carry. Start with the Durock Dolphin page and the Gateron Silent Black page. If you are here to check the board you already own, use our free keyboard tester.
Frequently asked questions
Durock Dolphin or Gateron Silent Black for gaming?
We pick the Durock Dolphin for gaming. This is close to a coin toss. The scoring hands it over by a margin you would not feel in a match.
Is the Durock Dolphin quieter than the Gateron Silent Black?
Neither wins on volume, because both are silenced. What separates them is what is left after the pads: the pitch of the press and how muted the release feels.
Which has the heavier spring, the Durock Dolphin or the Gateron Silent Black?
The Gateron Silent Black is heavier: 60 g against 48 g, both measured at actuation, so this is a fair like-for-like comparison.
Which is cheaper to fill a board with, the Durock Dolphin or the Gateron Silent Black?
The Gateron Silent Black sits in the mid priced bracket and the Durock Dolphin in the premium 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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