Gateron Red vs TTC Gold Pink V2
The Gateron Red and the TTC Gold Pink V2 are separated mostly by spring weight, 8 g of it at actuation, with the Gateron Red the firmer press and the TTC Gold Pink V2 the easier one to hold down. Our library of every switch we simulate 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 | Gateron Red | TTC Gold Pink V2 |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Linear | Linear |
| Brand rates force at | actuation | actuation |
| Actuation force | 45 g | 37 g |
| Bottom-out force | 55 g (our estimate) | 42 g |
| Pre-travel | 2 mm | 2 mm |
| Total travel | 4 mm | 4 mm |
| Silent (dampened) | No | No |
| Factory lubed | No | Yes |
| MX-compatible stem | Yes | Yes |
| Price tier | Budget | Mid-range |
| Street price | varies | varies |
Gateron and TTC 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 figure marked "our estimate" is our own derivation and not a manufacturer number, because Gateron publishes no bottom-out figure for the Gateron Red. How that derivation works .
Verdict
The Gateron Red and the TTC Gold Pink V2 are both linears, so nothing separates them at the fingertip until you look at springs and acoustics. The springs are far apart, with the Gateron Red at 45 g actuation versus 37 g for the TTC Gold Pink V2, a gap you feel within a paragraph of typing. The Gateron Red is the cheaper board to fill by a full bracket, budget friendly against mid priced. Nothing here separates by use case: the TTC Gold Pink V2 is our pick for gaming and for typing, and it is the safer of the two in a shared room. Take the Gateron Red only if you specifically want smooth, light clack with minimal scratch.
- Overall pick
- TTC Gold Pink V2
This pair does not split by use case: the TTC Gold Pink V2 comes out ahead of the Gateron Red on all three, so there is one pick here rather than three.
Force curves
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.
TTC Gold Pink V2
Gateron Red or TTC Gold Pink V2: the long answer
The table above already holds the answer. Here is what it means under a finger. The Gateron Red carries the heavier spring at actuation, 45 g to 37 g. That is a real 8 g without being a change of bracket. Both are linears either way, 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. Nothing here is decisive on its own, which is why the sound comparison matters more than usual on this pair.
Sound decides more of these arguments than force curves do. Two different voices: smooth, light clack with minimal scratch on the Gateron Red, feather-light soft patter, barely-there landing on the TTC Gold Pink V2. One caveat we repeat wherever a player appears: no studio recording sits behind either of these. They are built from what each maker publishes and what the community reports.
On cost and convenience, the Gateron Red is budget friendly, while the TTC Gold Pink V2 is mid priced. Factory lube is on the TTC Gold Pink V2 alone. Budget the extra time if you pick the Gateron Red and want it at its best.
That leaves an unusually simple answer, because one switch wins on all three counts: the TTC Gold Pink V2 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. Before you order either, match the volume trims above and hear them back to back.
For either one on its own terms, read the Gateron Red page and the TTC Gold Pink V2 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 Gateron Red or the TTC Gold Pink V2?
We pick the TTC Gold Pink V2 for gaming. Honestly either is fine here. It takes the nod once the scoring is added up, and only just.
Which is quieter, the Gateron Red or the TTC Gold Pink V2?
Volume is roughly a wash: no dampening and no click mechanism on either, so your typing force and your case decide the level. The character is not a wash, with the Gateron Red reading as smooth, light clack with minimal scratch against feather-light soft patter, barely-there landing from the TTC Gold Pink V2.
Which switch is heavier, the Gateron Red or the TTC Gold Pink V2?
The Gateron Red, by 8 g. Both figures are published at actuation, 45 g against 37 g, so they are measured at the same point and can be read straight.
Which is cheaper to fill a board with, the Gateron Red or the TTC Gold Pink V2?
The Gateron Red sits in the budget friendly bracket and the TTC Gold Pink V2 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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