yes, that's true haha

sweet; as long as you like it, anything goes

the rich variety of choices from cherry mx switches and its clones is meant for exactly this: fulfilling individual taste and expectations. yes i like linear switches the most, but still i collect different switches for fun.

red is not that quiet. silent red is. with silent red you don't need o-rings or any other silencing addons. all are well taken care of.

edit:

some notes about gk64 - finally lubed all stabilizers on gk64. seriously they're not impressive at stock, but now they're what i'm talking about they're china-made cherry stabilizers, plate-mounted type, and i haven't clipped them yet. with lube, it's getting nicer. even space bar is making way less noise now. also, lubing linear switches is good in general. if possible just take your time to lube them all. (well, at least the ones that you type most) you will not regret it.

tearing down gk64 is easy. take out caps, switches, unscrew pcb + top plate from top; lift the right side of pcb to separate it from bottom case (beware of the usb-type-c port on the left. the bottom case is the actual weight contributor; really heavy); unscrew pcb from top plate; take off the stabs plate-mounted style. assembly is equally easy.

once silent switches are here, including gateron silent black (note: the current stock of gateron silent red/black is not smd-led compatible; the smd-led compatible ones are still not out yet), i will replace the ones for all stabs, making it even more quiet. i still like red for normal typing and gaming.

for those who wish to try out different switches, but don't wanna get and sell boards with different switches like nobody's business, get gk64. it's a 60% with arrow keys. you spend less on switches also, because it's only 64 keys.

This post has been edited by horns: Oct 10 2017, 06:02 AM

it's a full-sized ducky zero. the modifiers are not nice. it's better to get ducky one or above if you liked ducky only.

don't be sad; https://www.storeuni.com/collections/mechan...ucky-one-silent

it's still better to find a day, come to kl or anywhere with a good shop, and test them out first-hand.

regarding reviews about prebuilts, some are good and honest, but many are biased, especially when personal preference is involved. it's better for you to try them out first, then decide for yourself.

.. and this is also why eventually you will go for custom boards, because you will realize that almost nothing that can satisfy you the most (for prebuilts they will always miss something out for some reasons; very hard to get one that is perfect imo)

finally backup pcbs for gk64 and gateron switches are here. (also some cherry mx silent series) note that the pcbs come without stabilizers. just get them separately. they are plate-mounted type of cherry stabs, not pcb-mounted.



edit: tbh i think gk64 is a decent (and relatively, budget) board to play with. the convenience of pcb designs for CIY (change-it-yourself) switches (maybe LED later) really makes significant differences. it helps save a lot of time swapping or modding stuff, and for learning purposes. it has a plate-mount pcb design. the switches are held firmly without wobble by the plate, and sit flush properly. switches wise, most cherry mx style switches fit nicely.

before this, i'm really not clear why there are 3-pin or 5-pin switches, or the fact that there are variants in switches of the same color (non-led and led; for led variants, there are further smd-led compatible and non-compatible); or differences between plate-mounted and pcb-mounted cherry stabs; or differences between lubed and stock switches, and some other minor details. now all cleared.

it's time to think of something else to do lol



This post has been edited by horns: Oct 14 2017, 11:45 AM

if you just need to replace them check out ultimate.zone, https://www.ultimate.zone/collections/vendors?q=Vortex

storeuni.com has ikbc double-shot pbt (pom for legends) for backlit boards, https://www.storeuni.com/collections/ikbc/p...-pbt-keycap-set

taobao have even more choices. yes if you get the wrong one (especially those thin pbt double-shot) then that's it. the above two are better than those.

try look for it at taobao or aliexpress.

technologies come and go; just like floppy disks, dial-up modems, cassettes tapes and players, and a lot more that were once common in our lives. so we just enjoy the companion of them while they still last lol

as input device, keyboards in general have come a long way. there will be a day it will gradually get replaced by more efficient alternatives in future. (like voice; maybe by that time we can write software codes with hokkien lol)

it should be a decent board. the cons mainly involve customization and repairs. (e.g. availability of parts)

for instance, you will not be able to play with nicer and good-quality key cap sets, or a rich diversity of switches. (imo mixed switches are good for typing, if you paired the right ones)

This post has been edited by horns: Oct 16 2017, 02:51 PM

well, as long as they like the original combination, it's good enough imo.

however, if the manufacturer did think as a user for once, and used cherry mx style stems in their product range, that alone would make a lot of their own users happy. coolermaster was smart enough to adapt it with their novatouch; then few years later, realforce finally realized this, and has made the change, too. when will logitech pick this up? let's see.

i rather support manufacturers that build stuff from users' standpoints, than to support those who aim to cash in only.

if you used grease, i don't think you need to do it that often. i have read that it will last for a long time. (for how long i don't know) reapply if it's not good anymore.

35g? wow. that's light.

ok. not good for me. i always rest my fingers on the board.

there should be options like replacement of springs for the board i guess. you can try find the right springs for this.

no problem haha i just happened to replace some springs in switches when i saw that lol

finally they are here

when will it be available here?

ah.. they said 'available immediately from the Corsair network of authorized retailers and distributors.' lol http://www.guru3d.com/news-story/corsair-l...eycaps-kit.html

ah there is this dome sheet also. a nice tip

yes i do. it's not that heavy actually. to me black is just the stiffer version of red.

just grab it if you liked it. it's the same model no matter where you get it, unless you're looking for different switches, and you want warranty. (as stated in the page, there is no warranty covered)

welcome friend from the east

er i think it's the same like other items. everyone is selling the same thing in general. the thing that matters to you (and only you, because you're the one who use it lol) might be your mods on the same model later on.

actually afaik here we have two better choices only: storeuni.com and ultimate.zone. (lazada might be a good place to source for cheap boards, but just read their warranty policies; ask the seller if necessary) if you don't mind used boards, there are lyn garage sales, and malaysia mech market fb group. if it's outside the country, yes, there are a lot more places.

btw, storeuni.com does give you options (at least a better selection of switches).

i just stick to qwerty layout because i have used it since the first day of using a computer.

in fact, as long as everything in the market is still based on the dominant qwerty layout, noone will be able to change it.

edit: i have tried dvorak layout too. it's really hard to adapt when you have built all the muscle memories up for qwerty layout for years. i found myself busy correcting typing errors rather than to be more productive.

superior or not, well, it really depends.

This post has been edited by horns: Oct 26 2017, 12:59 AM

maybe not too attractive because it has incompatible stems for keycap replacements. if you're into this, you can try it out and share with us the user experience

--

i have tried out the new gateron silent black. to me it's just slightly quieter than normal gat black. (both stock)

imo cherry's implementation of silencing stems are relatively better.

aha! now i'm almost certain that it's the firmware. (i thought i was the only one who faced this; noone seemed to report this) i have similar problems from time to time, but not that frequent.

better rma again, and better ask them don't apply the latest firmware update. (or come up with another firmware update)

note that if you put you hand under the board, where the controller is (which is around arrow keys) you will feel that place is relatively warm after some use.

edit: you can try out unplug the board from pc, press and hold fn + right alt and plug the board in to pc. also, press fn + e for 3-5 seconds, and fn + r for 3-5 seconds, source: http://community.coolermaster.com/topic/16...&comment=129604; somehow with the combo, my board returned to stock firmware version, 1.0.1, not the latest 1.2.1.


This post has been edited by horns: Oct 30 2017, 12:09 AM

very sorry for this; it's my mistake. i have read the wrong section of the cm software (1.0.1 is the software version, not firmware version).

i thought the firmware has been reset, but after i have double checked just now, it's still not reset in my board also.

for some unknown reasons, my board is now working normally after the combo.