Blue switches are considered hot favorite switches for keyboard enthusiasts who love higher tactile bumps in their keyboard during typing.
Blue switches are the most popular switches among professional typists as well as some hard-core gamers due to their consistent and crunchy clicks with a tiny tactile feel.
Are Blue Switches Loud? This question always arises in the user’s mind before picking blue switches for their mechanical keyboard.
Well, the short answer is: Yes, Blue switches are comparatively very loud than red and brown switches, and they generate a slightly higher tactile feel and highly audible clicky sound when pressed that’s why they are not considered ideal for offices and in quiet environments.
It is important to know some significant answers such as why blue switches generate loud noise and how it can be reduced while typing on them.
Let’s find out all these answers through this detailed article on Blue switches.
Table of Contents
What are Blue Switches?
Blue switches are a tactile type of switch that provides high tactile bump, consistent and accurate keypresses with very loud clicky noise while typing.
Blue switches usually have higher actuation force and their crunchy clicks ensure users that the keypresses are done successfully.
The accidental keypress possibility is very less due to their high actuation force which allows the user to let their fingers rest on the keyboard.
Being noisy switches, these blue switches are not considered ideal for gaming and quiet environments but even though some hard-core gamers love playing games with blue switches.
Except for Multiplayer Battle-Royale games where communication with teammates is a very essential part, blue switches may disappoint you with their loud sound.
But for programming and professional typing, blue switches are a perfect option for mechanical keyboards.
How Loud are the Blue Switches?
The most prominent property associated with Blue switches is the loudness along with clicky keypresses this is what users most like.
Are blue switches loud? If yes, how louder they are?
Blue switches are definitely much louder compared to other switch profiles which makes these switches unique and stand apart from the crowd.
These switches are excellent for programming and professional typing due to their less error generation property as they required a little bit of extra actuation force while typing which leads to avoid accidental key presses.
Some people used blue switches for gaming as well but I would not recommend them for gaming as the extra clicky sound may create a disturbance while communicating with teammates.
To know in-depth whether Blue switches are good for gaming Follow this article.
Take a look through the video on how blue switches produce noise practically while typing.
Source: MS Tech
Is Blue Switch Louder than Brown?
A big yes, Blues switches are comparatively much louder than Brown switches because of their higher actuation force which allows them to produce slightly higher noise.
Whereas Brown switches are tactile switches known to produce strong tactile bumpy feedback along with a balanced sound profile.
The sound is neither too noisy nor quiet in Brown switches as well as they required less force to actuate.
Due to strong tactile bumps, Brown switches are famous as “Bumpy switches” among keyboard enthusiasts.
Considering all these aspects, Blue switches are certainly noisy and clicky compared to Brwon switches.
I would say both switches are equivalent good it all depends on personal preference which one you should buy.
Are Blue Switches Good for Office?
No, Blue switches are not ideal to use with the mechanical keyboard in the office because of their noisy clicky sound which may create irritation and disturbance for colleagues nearby you.
Especially when a silent environment should be maintained in the office, Blue switches should be avoided by the employees.
In case you have a personal soundproof cabin and you are a fan of Blues switches, then it is very fine to use these switches.
I would recommend you to go with Gateron Blue switches as it is comparatively smoother than any other switches.
Are Blue Switches Good for Gaming?
Gaming switches should have the fastest response time, be smooth and accurate along with a quiet sound profile so a user can react within a split of seconds to dominate the game.
Blue switches can be a good pick for single-player games which don’t require communication with teammates during gameplay.
But for multiplayer games such as PUBG and Free Fire, Blue switches should not be a priority considered because of their noisy clicks which create irritation as well as disturb your teammates while concentrating on enemies’ movement.
It can be considered only for casual games.
Now the final decision is yours, if you are comfortable with noisy clicks then Blue switches may be a good pick for your mechanical keyboard.
If you’re looking for dedicated gaming switches, I would suggest you to check linear and Speed Silver switches which are specially created for gaming purposes.
How to Make Blue Switches Silent?
After knowing the answer to are blue switches loud, and is there any way to reduce their noise in the existing mechanical keyboard?
There are certain ways that you can follow to reduce the noise of blue switches, take a look through highlighting points:
1. Lube Your Blue Switches
Lubing any switches are the most prominent way to make switches feasible, smoother, and more optimized.
When you lube mechanical switches with a Silicon-Based thick lubricant, the switches’ noise reduces significantly and this process leads to a thicker and richer sound profile from your current switches.
You should definitely try to lube your mechanical switches especially when they are quite old and start to produce rattling sounds.
This will certainly help to suppress the noise of the switches.
2. Using O-Ring Sound Dampeners
O-Ring Sound Dampener
Apart from lubing, Using a Rubber O-ring is another good option to eliminate the noise of the blue switches.
The O-ring is a tiny ring made of sillicon rubber attached to the upper side of the stem of the mechanical keyboard cap which reduces the key’s travel distance and eliminates the clacking sound of the blue switches.
These O-Rings work exceptionally well to dampen the sound of the blue switches, that is why it is called dampeners O-Rings.
Rubber O-Rings can easily be available on online platforms for such a very affordable price.
3. Using Thicker Keycaps
Another good way to suppress the sound of Blue switches is by using thicker PBT keycaps.
PBT Keycaps are made of polybutylene terephthalate plastic which is generally harder and thicker compared to ABS keycaps.
So if you have ABS keycaps in your mechanical keyboard, try to replace them with good quality PBT keycaps, it will surely reduce some high noises of blue switches.
You should make sure that changing ABS to PBT keycaps can be quite expensive as PBT keycaps are pricier than ABS but they are completely worth.
Which Switches Should I Pick Between Blue, Brown, and Red?
When it comes to opting for the perfect switch for your mechanical keyboard, it’s quite challenging for beginners who entered in the world of a mechanical keyboard.
Blue switches are perfectly fitted for users who need mechanical keyboards for programming and typing purposes and especially those who love clicky and crunchy keypresses.
Brown switches are tactile switches and are best known to provide tactile Bumpy feedback while typing.
Brown switches are equipped with perfectly balanced sound, high tactile bump, and accurate typing which can be a good pick, especially for beginners, and good alternatives for Blue switches with less noise.
Red switches are the most popular linear switches that are best known to provide buttery smoothness and express fast response time with very quiet sound during typing.
Red switches don’t provide a tactile bump like Blue and Brown switches during keystrokes which make these switches different among them.
Red switches are best suited for gaming purposes due to their fast response time, and accurate clicks with a silent sound profile. The gaming community loved red switches to enjoy their gameplay.
Conclusion
If I need to conclude this post on Are Blue Switches Loud? Yes, Blue switches are too loud when keystrokes are done because of their higher actuation point.
As we have discussed in this article, the loud noise of blue switches can be reduced by using Lube and O-Ring sound dampeners.
Their clicky and crunchy sound is the most loved feature of blue switches that’s the reason people buy them.
Don’t buy Blue switches if you want them to be used in offices and silent environments as their loud noise may disturb nearby colleagues.
Except that reason, Blues can be a top-notch pick for your mechanical keyboard.
I hope I was able to give a conclusive answer to you.
Thanks for reading.
Cheers!!
FAQs On 'Are Blue Switches Loud?'
What color switches are the loudest?
Blue switches are extremely loudest due to their higher actuation point which required comparatively more force to actuate that allows louder and clicky sounds when keystrokes are done.
Is a blue switch clicky?
Yes, Blue switches are clicky switches because when keystrokes are registered successfully they produce clicky sounds which ensure users that keystrokes are registered as well as protect from accidental keypresses on the keyboard, they are very good for programming and professional typing.