Alright, so I’ve been meaning to talk about my time with these Cherry MX Speed Silver switches. It wasn’t like I woke up one day and decided, “Yep, gotta get me some Silvers.” Nah, it was more of a slow burn, a journey, you could say.
My Old Setup Was Driving Me Nuts
See, I was using this old keyboard, a hand-me-down, really. It had some generic switches, probably those cheap membrane things. For everyday typing, whatever, it worked. But when I started getting more into some fast-paced games, I felt like I was fighting the keyboard more than the enemies. My fingers felt like they were wading through mud. I’d press a key, and there was this… delay, or maybe it was just the long travel distance before anything happened. It was frustrating, man. I knew something had to change if I wanted to stop blaming my gear for my terrible K/D ratio (spoiler: gear only helps so much, but it helps!).
The Great Switch Hunt
So, I started digging. Went down the rabbit hole of mechanical keyboards. Reds, Browns, Blues… everyone had an opinion. Reds were for gaming, they said. Light and linear. Okay, interesting. Browns had a little bump, tactile. Some liked it for typing and gaming. Blues? Clicky. Loud. My roommate would probably murder me. I even tried a friend’s keyboard with Reds. It was better, definitely an improvement over my mushy board, but still… something wasn’t quite clicking, no pun intended.
Then, I stumbled across these Speed Silvers. The name itself, “Speed,” caught my eye. Sounded like what I was after. I read a bit, people said they were like Reds, but faster. Shorter travel, quicker actuation. My ears perked up. Could this be it?
Taking the Plunge and First Impressions
I decided to just go for it. Found a decent board that came with Speed Silvers and pulled the trigger. When it arrived, I was pretty hyped. Unboxed it, plugged it in. The first thing I did was just tap the keys. Whoa. They felt… different. Super light. Almost like if you breathed on them too hard, they’d register a press. It was a bit weird at first, I gotta admit. My old keyboard needed a good, firm press. These Silvers felt like they were barely there.
Getting Used to the Speed
So, I fired up a game. My first few matches were a disaster, to be honest. My fingers, used to hammering down keys, were causing all sorts of accidental inputs. I’d barely graze the ‘A’ key, and my character would suddenly strafe left into a wall. It was like learning to walk again. I was overshooting everything. My typing was full of errors too. So many double letters, so many unintended commands.
I thought, “Man, did I make a mistake?” But I stuck with it. I told myself, “You wanted speed, this is speed. Now learn to control it.”
- I consciously tried to be lighter with my touch.
- Focused on resting my fingers just above the keys, not on them.
- Practiced, practiced, practiced. Both in games and just typing.
Slowly, it started to click. My fingers adapted. That super short actuation point, the thing that was tripping me up initially, started to feel… good. Really good. In games, my character felt more responsive. Peeking around corners, quick counter-strafes, ability activations – it all felt more immediate. It was like the delay between my brain wanting to do something and it happening on screen got shorter. It wasn’t magic, I didn’t suddenly become a pro, but it felt like a barrier was removed.
So, What’s the Verdict?
Now, after using them for a good while, I can say I’m a fan. For me, for gaming, these things are pretty sweet. That quick response is just what I was looking for. It genuinely feels like I can react faster. But here’s the thing, they’re not for everyone. If you’re a heavy-handed typist, you’re gonna have a bad time, at least initially. You’ll be making typos left and right. If you like a lot of tactile feedback, these ain’t it. They’re smooth, almost too smooth for some.
I’ve had friends try my keyboard. Some love it instantly. Others, especially those used to clicky Blues or even tactile Browns, find them too sensitive, almost “mushy” in their own way because there’s no bump. They say it feels like there’s no feedback until it’s too late. I get that. It’s a very specific feel.
But for me, after that initial learning curve, the Speed Silvers just work. I’ve gotten used to the light touch for typing too, and my speed has actually gone up a bit. It’s funny, I went looking for something to help my gaming, and it ended up changing how I interact with my keyboard for everything. I wouldn’t say they’re the “best” switch, because that’s dumb. There’s no “best.” But for what I wanted? Yeah, these hit the spot. It was a bit of a gamble, a bit of a learning process, but I’m glad I stuck with them.