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Linear vs Tactile for my purposes

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Ultima X

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
Hi, I'm planning on getting a Deck Legend mechanical keyboard, and I've read the mech keyboard guide here, but I'm still not sure which of these would be better for me.

I play a ton of MMO (WoW), FPS (CS:S, TF2 etc), and RPG (TQ, DA:0, etc) with some RTS on the side. The RPG side doesn't require anything specific from these keyboards, but the other 3 do.

In WoW, I have everything keybinded, and I mash keys A LOT. And I mean A LOT. And I play all day if I can, so this means if the keys are hard to press my fingers would tire quickly. Currently I am using a g15 v2 and my fingers never tire, no matter how long I game, so take that for what you will.

In FPS, I always keep my hand over WASD (I do this in pretty much every genre actually, but here the most) even if I am not moving. This means I don't want the keys to press down so easily that I am inadvertently moving or canceling movement when my hand is just resting there. Also, I am extremely good at shooters, so I need to be able to perform and cancel a lot of actions at once.

In RTS, my needs are pretty obvious. I need a type that can support very high APM and make it as easy as possible.

I'm no typist, but I do occasionally need to type up essays and I do browse a ton, so that aspect should be comfortable too.

So overall, which do you guys think would be the better option for me, and why? Also, should I go for PS2 or USB (I believe my EVGA X58 3sli has only 1 ps2 port and im not certain it isnt being used already).

Thanks
 
#2 ·
Still haven't decided yet? Just as yourself "Do I currently have any issues with the slick feel of the keyboards I have used in the past? Would I benefit from textured keys?" No/Yes - then tactile... Yes/No - then linear
 
Discussion starter · #3 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by EgoProxy View Post
Still haven't decided yet? Just as yourself "Do I currently have any issues with the slick feel of the keyboards I have used in the past? Would I benefit from textured keys?" No/Yes - then tactile... Yes/No - then linear
So you're saying I should stick with rubber dome keyboards then? The whole reason I'm asking is because I've never used mech keyboards and I'm set on upgrading since everyone is saying how superior they are. I have no clue what I would benefit from if I've never seen or used them.
 
#4 ·
Definitely go with the PS2 port, it will allow for n-key rollover, not restricting you to only certain key combinations at the same time. If your mouse is currently in the PS2 port, move it to usb, or buy a mouse that's usb if yours isn't.

I would go with linear, personally. Both kinds that Deck offer are similar activation force, so really it's just a matter of smooth action with activate and release at the same point, or action with a bump in the middle, and activate and release at different points. Tactile is better suited to typing, and linear to gaming, generally speaking.
 
#5 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by EgoProxy View Post
Still haven't decided yet? Just as yourself "Do I currently have any issues with the slick feel of the keyboards I have used in the past? Would I benefit from textured keys?" No/Yes - then tactile... Yes/No - then linear
Textured keys? The tactile feel comes from the switch, not the texture of the key.

I just got a Cherry keyboard with the linear "black" switches. It is definitely an improvement over my old membrane keyboard. The keys pop back much quicker and my typing speed went up 10 words a minute the first try. It does require some more force, but I only notice it when typing a key with my pinky finger. It will probably make me a better typist in the long run. As for gaming, I only tried it for a few minutes so far and it did feel different, but that might just be the keyboard layout. Haven't done it long enough to make a fair assessment.
 
Discussion starter · #6 ·
My issue with linear is that I'm reading that it requires a lot more force to press down, and if it's even more than rubber dome, that could be a problem. I mash keys all day, so I don't want my fingers to be getting tired.

On the other hand, I'm reading tactile activates very easily, which is a problem because I rest my fingers on wasd even when I'm not moving, and I don't want it being activated inadvertently.

Still not sure..
 
#7 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by Ultima X View Post
My issue with linear is that I'm reading that it requires a lot more force to press down, and if it's even more than rubber dome, that could be a problem. I mash keys all day, so I don't want my fingers to be getting tired.

On the other hand, I'm reading tactile activates very easily, which is a problem because I rest my fingers on wasd even when I'm not moving, and I don't want it being activated inadvertently.

Still not sure..
It's not that all tactile switches require less force to press, it's that the most prevalent one here in the US (the Cherry MX Brown) requires less force to press. The Cherry MX Clear used in the Deck Legend uses the same spring as the Cherry MX Black linear switch - they're both essentially the same when it comes to how stiff they are.

Honestly though, I don't understand you - one moment all mechanical switches are too easy to press if you rest your hands on the keyboard, and the next moment you're banging on the thing and worried about fatigue. It's got to be one or the other here, unless you're after a magic keyboard with springs that stiffen when you accidentally press a key.
 
Discussion starter · #8 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by RayvinAzn View Post
It's not that all tactile switches require less force to press, it's that the most prevalent one here in the US (the Cherry MX Brown) requires less force to press. The Cherry MX Clear used in the Deck Legend uses the same spring as the Cherry MX Black linear switch - they're both essentially the same when it comes to how stiff they are.

Honestly though, I don't understand you - one moment all mechanical switches are too easy to press if you rest your hands on the keyboard, and the next moment you're banging on the thing and worried about fatigue. It's got to be one or the other here, unless you're after a magic keyboard with springs that stiffen when you accidentally press a key.
I mean I want the keys to not be so incredibly stiff/hard to press down that I tire after mashing them all day, but I also don't want them to be so sensitive that just hovering my fingers over them presses them down. Both of these work out fine for me on my g15, and I'd like the same with a mech board.
 
#10 ·
I believe the G15's activation force is 65g, compared to 55g on the clears and 60g on the blacks. Then again, to press the keys all the way down is ~100g for the clears, and ~80g for the blacks. Sounds like the blacks would be the closest to what you're looking for, as far as presure you can put on them.
 
#11 ·
I am a fan of Black linears. If you really mash on keys and are concerned about fatigue, then either you do not mash hard enough, or have not mashed long enough. I am a very hard typist and have been for years on Unicomp boards. Everyone who hears me type has mentioned that I am rather annoying when I type, even on Browns. The gf said I was annoying on a Realforce 45g (modded 103UB) just yesterday. That said, if you really mash on your board, then fatigue is secondary to how you accommodate the actuation and release points of your chosen switch to your style of play and typing.
 
Discussion starter · #12 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by adamlau View Post
I am a fan of Black linears. If you really mash on keys and are concerned about fatigue, then either you do not mash hard enough, or have not mashed long enough. I am a very hard typist and have been for years on Unicomp boards. Everyone who hears me type has mentioned that I am rather annoying when I type, even on Browns. The gf said I was annoying on a Realforce 45g (modded 103UB) just yesterday. That said, if you really mash on your board, then fatigue is secondary to how you accommodate the actuation and release points of your chosen switch to your style of play and typing.
Well, let me put it into perspective. If I'm pvping, with everything keybinded always, I'm mashing every key I'm using, rather than just pressing. By that I mean rather than pressing "D" then waiting 1.5sec to press "2", I'll mash "D" like 5 times, then mash "2" 5 times, etc. I'm used to this, and because I'm so fast it works out amazingly for me
Image
. But yea, with the g15 I can do this all day and not tire my hands, so if the linear is even easier to press it shouldn't be an issue. Is the only difference between linear and tactile activation force (one needs to bottom out, one clicks halfway)?

Are the linear switches even louder than standard rubber dome? Is tactile quieter? Noise isn't a big issue for me, but I don't want the mto be crazy loud. None of the rubber dome keyboards I've ever used have been loud enough to annoy me.
 
#14 ·
You still don't understand what the difference is between a linear and a tactile...

A linear doesn't require to be bottomed out, it activates halfway through like any other Cherry switch. But you will probably bottom out anyway since you have no feedback, audio or tactile, to tell you if it's pressed or not. Blacks are activated at 60g and bottomed out at 80g. You will likely often bottom them out (well I guess over time you'll get used to only pressing them half way through) when you use them so think of them as 80g keys for gaming.

A tactile switch has a "bump" of resistance. You need to apply 55g of force on browns (65 on clears) to get through that bump, and then it activates. To bottom out you'll need up to 55g (because the resistance drops after the bump, then increases linearly like blacks, just with less resistance), but if you're typing you'll easily learn not to go any farther than halfway through since the bump tells you that the key is pressed.

For gaming this doesn't have any impact, it's just a 55g key. It's perfect for typing and also good for mashing and 'fatigue'. In fact, if you learn to press the key repeatedly without bottoming it out instead of mashing, then it will be even faster than blacks.

Finally, I doubt the 5gram difference will make it easier to accidentally press the keys. Personally I don't think it's possible to press 55g by accident. The keys don't "sink" when your fingers rest on them.

If anything, the tactile nature of the brown would make it harder to press by accident since you'll quickly get used to the bump and know how much force is required to get past it. If you're expecting to press a key any moment, and your trigger happy finger is unknowingly already starting to press on the key, then I would expect browns to stop that simply because of the BUMP. The linear will 'sink' progressively instead.

If you know you don't need any better than pressing 6 keys at a time + alt/shift/ctrl/win then you don't need PS/2.
 
#15 ·
Also even though I said "this might be better because" I personally don't think it'll make any difference for gaming. The browns just happen to be good at something else than gaming.

Heck I regret buying my brown Das "for gaming". I wish I had tried out the blues first to see if I could game on them, as they're supposed to be even better for typing, which is now my primary concern, simply because it's so good to type on these tactile keyboards.

edit: also browns don't make more noise than blacks.
 
Discussion starter · #16 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by thiru View Post
Also even though I said "this might be better because" I personally don't think it'll make any difference for gaming. The browns just happen to be good at something else than gaming.

Heck I regret buying my brown Das "for gaming". I wish I had tried out the blues first to see if I could game on them, as they're supposed to be even better for typing, which is now my primary concern, simply because it's so good to type on these tactile keyboards.

edit: also browns don't make more noise than blacks.
Ok, so after reading both posts I have a better idea of what they both are, but honestly you make it sound like these things are not going to benefit gaming at all over rubber dome, but be far superior for typing.
 
#17 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by Ultima X View Post
Ok, so after reading both posts I have a better idea of what they both are, but honestly you make it sound like these things are not going to benefit gaming at all over rubber dome, but be far superior for typing.
lol

I don't think that and I don't want you to think that. I game a lot. I don't type a lot since I don't chat as much as I used to (my WPM is low I'm ashamed
Image
), but I do not regret purchasing a mechanical keyboard at 135 euro ONE BIT. I hate rubber domes AND crappy scissor switches so much it just doesn't feel right even when gaming.

That and my back up rubber dome somehow manage to die even though I wasn't using it and my scissor switch's rubber domes were already wearing out after 6 months.

Of course I had a Thinkpad, which has the best scissor switches out there, so I was a bit spoiled
Image
 
Discussion starter · #18 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by thiru View Post
lol

I don't think that and I don't want you to think that. I game a lot. I don't type a lot since I don't chat as much as I used to (my WPM is low I'm ashamed
Image
), but I do not regret purchasing a mechanical keyboard at 135 euro ONE BIT. I hate rubber domes AND crappy scissor switches so much it just doesn't feel right even when gaming.

That and my back up rubber dome somehow manage to die even though I wasn't using it and my scissor switch's rubber domes were already wearing out after 6 months.

Of course I had a Thinkpad, which has the best scissor switches out there, so I was a bit spoiled
Image

I see.

Pretend you were going to be gaming at a professional level 24/7 and you had to pick the best out of the two (linear or tactile), along with the manufacturer (DAS, deck, etc) Which would you pick and why?

(Hypothetically of course
Image
)
 
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