First decide what key type you want. I'm going to shamelessly
rip off Geekhack here. That page is packed with too much information and would confuse new buyers.
It seems Cherry Blues are a very popular key for "gamer" quality boards. My guess for this is they stand out a lot more than Blacks or Reds. Since Razer or SteelSeries don't compete with Filco in regards to build quality, they need that extra pop the blue switches gives to impress buyers. Lets look at why:
If you can
tolerate the noise that the switch makes, these are a great key to type on. The switch is very light so your fingers don't get fatigued. It actually takes a while to get used to at first when coming from a rubber dome because it is so light. Very very tactile as you can see from the force chart. But lets really examine it. The operating point is when the electrical contact is made. The reset point is when the electrical contact stops. These two points are very far apart. This is the main reason why I feel Blues are unfit for FPS gaming, at least for myself. If you do play FPS games, examine how you press the keys, if you SOMETIMES don't depress the key all the way, stay far far away from Blues. However, they do do great for RTS type games such as Starcraft.
Lets check out the next closest switch type: Cherry Browns
This switch has one internal change compared to the Blue. Its obvious in the GIF, the clicky thingy is now one piece with the top. This creates a few changes. First
it makes the switch less loud and harsh. Second it fixes the operating/reset point problem the Blue has. As the last side effect, it lightens the switch further and it makes the force chart more uniform. I haven't personally typed on a Brown, but I can tell you that the return stroke of a Blue is weird as shit. This looks to fix that. Despite sounding like all positives, its all up to personal preference. Remember that Browns aren't clicky.
Now time for some linear action: Cherry Blacks
This switch is the generally heralded as the best gaming switch due to its linear action. I agree, but find it very boring and tiresome in day to day typing. Which brings us back to the Razer/SteelSeries marketing. From a theoretical standpoint, these or Reds (below) are the only switch to use for hardcore gaming. That should give you an idea of just how boring/tiresome this switch can be. Gaming companies basically live on marketing, and even they are hard pressed to sell you the "best" gaming switches. Don't let the force chart fool you, these are very stiff. They moderately redeem themselves in FPS games however.
Lets lighten our linear lumbering levers: Cherry Reds
Enter Cherry Reds. Still slightly boring when compared to a tactile switch, it fixes what was wrong with Blacks, the stiffness. Once again its all personal preference though. A lot of girls like stiff Blacks. This is a newer switch and might be slightly harder to find than the Blacks because of this.
I know that I didn't necessarily give you the information you were asking for, but the main selling point of a mechanical keyboard is the switch itself. Keep in mind that are other makers of mechanical switches, not just Cherry MX. I really recommend visiting
GeekHack and doing some research before purchasing. The wealth of information on that site regarding boards is just astounding. All my sound clips and images are from there.
I'll post in a bit regarding some boards themselves when I get a break.
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