Gateron Black vs Gateron Ink Yellow V2
Money is the honest first difference between the Gateron Black and the Gateron Ink Yellow V2: one is budget friendly and the other premium priced, multiplied by a full board. Our switch library cross-links them because this matchup keeps coming up. Start with the A/B bursts below, then take the spec table and the picks in order.
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 | Gateron Black | Gateron Ink Yellow V2 |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Linear | Linear |
| Brand rates force at | actuation | actuation |
| Actuation force | 60 g | 60 g |
| Bottom-out force | 70 g (our estimate) | 67 g (our estimate) |
| Pre-travel | 2 mm | 1.2 mm |
| Total travel | 4 mm | 3.4 mm |
| Silent (dampened) | No | No |
| Factory lubed | No | Yes |
| MX-compatible stem | Yes | Yes |
| Price tier | Budget | Premium |
| Street price | varies | varies |
Both of these are rated 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. Gateron 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 that derivation works .
Verdict
The Gateron Black and the Gateron Ink Yellow V2 are both linears, so nothing separates them at the fingertip until you look at springs and acoustics. The Gateron Black is the cheaper board to fill by a full bracket, budget friendly against premium priced. Weight is nearly even at bottom-out: 70 g for the Gateron Black against 67 g, a gap most fingers will barely register. Gateron publishes no bottom-out figure at all, so both of those are our estimates. Nothing here separates by use case: the Gateron Ink Yellow V2 is our pick for gaming and for typing, and it is the safer of the two in a shared room. Take the Gateron Black only if you specifically want firm, deeper clack with a planted landing.
- Overall pick
- Gateron Ink Yellow V2
No use case rescues the Gateron Black here. The Gateron Ink Yellow V2 wins gaming, typing and the office question alike, so the block collapses to one.
Force curves
Gateron Black
Gateron 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 Ink Yellow V2
Gateron publishes no bottom-out force for this switch, so the 67 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 Black or Gateron Ink Yellow V2: the long answer
Start with what these cost to fill a board, because that is the widest gap between them. The Gateron Black is budget friendly, while the Gateron Ink Yellow V2 is premium priced. One of them has already been lubed for you and one has not, which is worth more than the price gap if you were not planning to open 70 switches.
On to the mechanical side. On distance the Gateron Ink Yellow V2 registers at 1.2 mm against 2.0 mm, and the full stroke runs 4.0 mm on the Gateron Black against 3.4 mm on the Gateron Ink Yellow V2. Both are linears either way, so neither one puts a bump or a click in the way of the press. The Gateron Black is nominally firmer at bottom-out, 70 g to 67 g, but 3 g is not a gap you buy a switch for. Gateron publishes no bottom-out figure at all, so both of those are our estimates. None of these gaps is large. Stack them up and they still point somewhere, but gently.
Now the part spec sheets cannot carry: the voice. Through the A/B player above, the Gateron Black comes through as firm, deeper clack with a planted landing, while the Gateron Ink Yellow V2 reads as the Ink voice on a compressed stroke; deep, crisp, quick to land. These demos are synthesized from published specs and documented character rather than studio recordings, which every player on the site says plainly.
That leaves an unusually simple answer, because one switch wins on all three counts: the Gateron Ink Yellow V2 is our pick for gaming, for typing and for a shared desk. On speed, the scoring hands it a lighter spring on the bottom-out numbers we list and a shorter distance to actuation. On typing feel, its keystroke stays consistent and comfortable across a full day of writing. On noise, it is the one of these two you would not apologize for. That leaves the Gateron Black 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.
There is more on both than a head-to-head can carry. Start with the Gateron Black page and the Gateron Ink Yellow V2 page. If you are here to check the board you already own, use our free keyboard tester.
Frequently asked questions
Gateron Black or Gateron Ink Yellow V2 for gaming?
We pick the Gateron Ink Yellow V2 for gaming. The scoring gives it a lighter spring on the bottom-out numbers we list and a shorter distance to actuation against the Gateron Black, and both of those show up in a fast game.
Gateron Black or Gateron Ink Yellow V2: which one is quieter?
Neither is dampened, so volume comes down to your board and your typing force. The one audible difference on the spec sheet is lube: the Gateron Ink Yellow V2 is lubed at the factory, which takes out spring ping and scratch rather than loudness.
Is the Gateron Black heavier than the Gateron Ink Yellow V2?
The Gateron Black on the figures this page carries, 70 g to 67 g at bottom-out, but the comparison is not manufacturer against manufacturer: Gateron publishes no bottom-out figure at all, so both of those numbers are our own derivation from the forces it does publish.
Which is cheaper to fill a board with, the Gateron Black or the Gateron Ink Yellow V2?
The Gateron Black sits in the budget friendly bracket and the Gateron Ink Yellow V2 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.
More comparisons
More vs Gateron Black
Or browse every switch comparison on the site.