Gateron G Pro Red 3.0 vs Gateron Red
One of these is ready out of the bag and one is a project: the Gateron G Pro Red 3.0 comes factory lubed, the Gateron Red does not. Our full 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 | Gateron G Pro Red 3.0 | Gateron Red |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Linear | Linear |
| Brand rates force at | actuation | actuation |
| Actuation force | 45 g | 45 g |
| Bottom-out force | 50 g (our estimate) | 55 g (our estimate) |
| Pre-travel | 2 mm | 2 mm |
| Total travel | 4 mm | 4 mm |
| Silent (dampened) | No | No |
| Factory lubed | Yes | No |
| MX-compatible stem | Yes | Yes |
| Price tier | Budget | Budget |
| Street price | varies | varies |
Gateron 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. The two figures marked "our estimate" are our own derivation and not a manufacturer number, because Gateron publishes no bottom-out figure for either of these. How we derive a bottom-out figure .
Verdict
The Gateron G Pro Red 3.0 and the Gateron Red are both linears, so nothing separates them at the fingertip until you look at springs and acoustics. One of them is ready out of the bag: the Gateron G Pro Red 3.0 is lubed at the factory and the other is not. The Gateron Red is the firmer of the two at bottom-out, 55 g to 50 g, though 5 g is not much to choose between. Gateron publishes no bottom-out figure at all, so both of those are our estimates. We land on the Gateron G Pro Red 3.0 for every use we score, and it is the safer of the two in a shared room, so the Gateron Red makes sense only if you preferred its voice in the player above.
- Overall pick
- Gateron G Pro Red 3.0
Our three scores agree on this pair. The Gateron G Pro Red 3.0 takes all of them, which is why there is a single card above instead of three.
Force curves
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.
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.
Gateron G Pro Red 3.0 or Gateron Red: the long answer
Start with what you will have to do to them, not with how they feel. Both are budget friendly. Factory lube is on the Gateron G Pro Red 3.0 alone. Budget the extra time if you pick the Gateron Red and want it at its best.
That leaves the stroke itself. The Gateron Red carries the heavier spring at bottom-out, 55 g to 50 g. That is a real 5 g without being a change of bracket. Gateron publishes no bottom-out figure at all, so both of those are our estimates. The stroke itself is shared: neither one puts a bump or a click in the way of the press. Travel is a straight match, 2.0 mm of pre-travel and 4.0 mm in full on both. None of these gaps is large. Stack them up and they still point somewhere, but gently.
Sound is where most people finally pick a side. Played back to back, the Gateron G Pro Red 3.0 is quieter, lube-sheened clack; smoother than standard Red against smooth, light clack with minimal scratch from the Gateron Red. These demos are synthesized from published specs and documented character rather than studio recordings, which every player on the site says plainly.
So who should buy which? The same switch wins every way we score it: the Gateron G Pro Red 3.0 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 Red to anyone who preferred its voice in the player above, which is a good enough reason on its own. The player above is the cheapest part of this decision, so use it before your wallet is involved.
Each of these has a page of its own with the full spec sheet and the sound notes. Start with the Gateron G Pro Red 3.0 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
Gateron G Pro Red 3.0 or Gateron Red for gaming?
We pick the Gateron G Pro Red 3.0 for gaming. The two are close enough for gaming that either works; our scoring defaults to it by a small margin.
Which of the Gateron G Pro Red 3.0 and the Gateron Red is quieter in a shared room?
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 G Pro Red 3.0 is lubed at the factory, which takes out spring ping and scratch rather than loudness.
Which has the heavier spring, the Gateron G Pro Red 3.0 or the Gateron Red?
The Gateron Red, on the numbers we have: 55 g against 50 g at bottom-out. Read that as a guide rather than a like-for-like manufacturer comparison, because Gateron publishes no bottom-out figure at all, so both of those numbers are our own derivation from the forces it does publish.
Do the Gateron G Pro Red 3.0 and the Gateron Red need lubing?
The Gateron G Pro Red 3.0 arrives lubed from the factory, so it is usable straight out of the bag. The Gateron Red does not, and on a full board that is an evening of work if you want it at its smoothest. Plenty of people run unlubed switches happily; it is a question of whether a slightly drier stroke bothers you.
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