NovelKeys NK Cream vs NovelKeys NK Cream Clickie
The NovelKeys NK Cream and the NovelKeys NK Cream Clickie are not the same kind of switch, so this comparison is settled by which stroke you want before a single number matters. 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 | NovelKeys NK Cream | NovelKeys NK Cream Clickie |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Linear | Clicky |
| Brand rates force at | actuation | actuation |
| Actuation force | 55 g | 55 g |
| Bottom-out force | 70 g | 75 g |
| Pre-travel | 2 mm | 1.9 mm |
| Total travel | 4 mm | 3.9 mm |
| Silent (dampened) | No | No |
| Factory lubed | No | No |
| MX-compatible stem | Yes | Yes |
| Price tier | Premium | 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.
Verdict
The NovelKeys NK Cream and the NovelKeys NK Cream Clickie are different kinds of switch, linear against clicky, which outranks every number in the table above. Their springs sit close together, just 5 g apart at bottom-out, with the NovelKeys NK Cream Clickie the marginally firmer press. Distance to actuation splits them as well, 1.9 mm on the NovelKeys NK Cream Clickie against 2.0 mm on the NovelKeys NK Cream. Where we land: the NovelKeys NK Cream for gaming and a shared office, the NovelKeys NK Cream Clickie for typing.
- Gaming pick
- NovelKeys NK Cream
- Typing pick
- NovelKeys NK Cream Clickie
- Office pick
- NovelKeys NK Cream
Force curves
NovelKeys NK Cream
NovelKeys NK Cream Clickie
NovelKeys NK Cream or NovelKeys NK Cream Clickie: the long answer
Start with feel, because it settles most switch arguments before sound comes up. Start with the stroke, because the NovelKeys NK Cream passes through the stroke without an event while the NovelKeys NK Cream Clickie snaps a click at actuation. The NovelKeys NK Cream Clickie is nominally firmer at bottom-out, 75 g to 70 g, but 5 g is not a gap you buy a switch for. Neither the trigger point nor the depth matches: 1.9 mm to actuation on the NovelKeys NK Cream Clickie against 2.0 mm, and 3.9 mm of total travel on the NovelKeys NK Cream Clickie against 4.0 mm. No spec under this one outranks it, so answer the bump question before you weigh anything else.
What the table cannot tell you is how either one lands in a room. Played back to back, the NovelKeys NK Cream is unique rounded POM clack-thock, deep and resonant against a sharp bottle-cap pop, brighter than a click bar from the NovelKeys NK Cream Clickie. The NovelKeys NK Cream Clickie clicks on every press, which is as much a lifestyle choice as a spec. Worth repeating: the audio here is a simulation built from specs and community descriptions, not a recording of either switch.
On cost and convenience, both are premium priced. Neither ships lubed, so budget an evening with a brush if you want either at its best.
This one genuinely splits. The NovelKeys NK Cream for games, because nothing interrupts fast repeated presses on its linear stroke. The NovelKeys NK Cream Clickie for writing, since the click is a metronome for a long draft, which some writers will not give up. The NovelKeys NK Cream for an office, as it leaves out the click, which is the part coworkers actually complain about. Do the listening first. It costs nothing and it changes minds more often than a spec table does.
Each of these has a page of its own with the full spec sheet and the sound notes. Start with the NovelKeys NK Cream page and the NovelKeys NK Cream Clickie page. If you are here to check the board you already own, use our free keyboard tester.
Frequently asked questions
Is the NovelKeys NK Cream or the NovelKeys NK Cream Clickie the better gaming switch?
We pick the NovelKeys NK Cream for gaming. Its linear stroke has no bump or click to interrupt fast repeated presses, which is exactly what rapid inputs reward.
Which is quieter, the NovelKeys NK Cream or the NovelKeys NK Cream Clickie?
Not the NovelKeys NK Cream Clickie. Its click is the loudest event either of these two produces, which leaves the NovelKeys NK Cream as the quieter one whatever else the table says.
Which has the heavier spring, the NovelKeys NK Cream or the NovelKeys NK Cream Clickie?
The NovelKeys NK Cream Clickie. Both brands publish at bottom-out, which makes 75 g against 70 g an honest 5 g rather than two numbers from different rulers.
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