There's a lot that goes into the best gaming keyboards, and switches are only part of the picture. The entire composition doesn't fall apart with a less than stellar switch in place, especially as so many boards are hot swappable. But if you're picky about typing sound, the search for your perfect key switch just got a little easier.

Switch Lab is a browser-based library of 100 switch sounds, collecting together switches from Cherry, Gateron, Outemu and more. Obviously, feel is just as important as sound, but we don't yet live in a cyberpunk dystopia that can transmit textural experiences over the net. Shame.

Anyway, after a brief introduction to how Switch Lab works, you can begin comparing and contrasting switch sounds. You can either hammer a solo switch with just your mouse, or load a full set into a virtual keyboard for a typing test where a cat pesters you. I have a pretty clacky keyboard in the office at PCG Towers, so this latter test did not give me the best sense of switch sound (and that fidgeting feline kept dragging down my accuracy score to boot).

Each switch enjoys its own detailed catalogue page, offering pointers on what sort of typist it's great for, alongside suggestions for switches in a similar ballpark if it doesn't quite hit the mark for you. There's weight, pricing information, and even links to extended sound test videos on YouTube.

As a huge fan of Be Quiet's silent switches (the Light Mount TKL remains my daily driver at home), I've disappeared down a bit of a rabbit hole on Switch Lab.

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