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The difference between the switches is sorted by color:
Red - Linear switches that are fast and pretty quiet. Marketed primarily for gamers.
Blue - Tactile switches that emit an audible click when a key is pressed. Marketed for gamers to some degree, but they are best used as typing and productivity keyboards and not for gaming because of the high actuation force. Most mechanical keyboards have blue switches.
Brown - Tactile switches that have no audible click, merely a "bump" you feel when a key is pressed. They are quite similar to Blue switches due to the tactile response but are not nearly as loud.
There are other colors, but those are the top three. If that's not enough information, I suggest looking up some switch guides for more in depth information for each type.
Considering that you're looking for a gaming keyboard, you should go for one that has Cherry MX Red switches as they will offer the best linear feedback and the least amount of strain on your hands.
I suggest:
1. Corsair STRAFE RGB (Cherry MX Red, not MX Silent. Silent are slightly quieter red switches but they don't feel as precise and the space bar on the silent variant is way louder than any red switch)
2. Kingston HyperX Alloy FPS Pro (A tenkeyless keyboard with red switches that has a very high build quality, vibrant red backlighting, and feels much better than the more expensive Corsair STRAFE. For users that want a numpad that is lost due to tenkeyless design, there is the HyperX Alloy FPS for slightly more.)
Logitech keyboards mostly use Romer-G switches but most of them are quite tactile, so finger fatigue is more common. They're also usually more expensive than other brands.
And, don't just blindly listen to people saying that MX reds are the best for this and that;
I believed it for a while, then I actually felt a red switch, and it was nasty, I really just didn't like it.
Browns / Razer greens were so much nicer to type and game on. So much smoother, actually feels nice to the touch, I know when I'm pressing a key, and gives me some room if I accidentally press the wrong key, becuase of the tactile bump.
Some people sware by MX Reds though, and, they are better than Membrane keyboards, they're not what I'd hoped they'd be.
Moral of the story, try it before you buy it.
Order one of them 'switch' tester things and try the feel of the switches, or go into a shop, and try a keyboard out (Take that with a grain of salt though, because they're worn to ♥♥♥♥.).
But it should still give you a great feel for the switch, and if you like it or hate it.
Razer keyboards are pretty decent, much better than their mice, the switches are great, and software is different. Can't say I have any faults with my Blackwidow Chroma V2.
Logitech keyboard usualy have good build quality too. Can't say much as the the Romer-G switches, as I've never used them.
The HyperX Alloy is pretty good build quality too, really haven't seen any complaints about it.
Corsair keyboards (K70 / RGB and Strafe) are really good keyboards, never seen anyone with a complaint that actually impacted anyone else. (Unless you were to spill tea all over your keyboard, lmao.)
And, they come in MX Reds, Browns, and Blues.
And unless you're Typing on something like blues for a REALLY long time, you're not going to see any fatigue problems with any switch tbh.
Just try it before you buy it. (Or send it back if you don't like it, lmao.)
Because it's something you will quite literally use every moment you're on your computer. (Like a mouse.) So make it something you're going to like, enjoy, and feel comfortable with.
Is this from a singular personal experience? Sounds like you got a dud.
Cherry MX Silent switches are simply MX Red switches, but with extra dampening material in the switch. Nothing about it should change precision, unless there is a defect.
IMO, the best switch if you want mechanical and to be quiet. Adding o-rings takes care of bottoming out, and you essentially have the perfect switch.
Best bet, head over to a brick and mortar store (e.g. Best Buy / Micro Center on this side of the pond, PC World, Curry's, and the like over there) they should have the typical gamut of Corsairs and Logitechs to oogle - also not sure if it was mentioned Romer-G has a shorter throw (a "low profile" type) of 1.5mm compared to the typical cherry and clone 2mm throw - I tried them and like them personally.
But if you want a nice keyboard, since you'll be using it all the time, why not get something good with nice switches, macro keys (not that anyone uses them lmao), RBG (If you're into that.), good wrist rest, or waterproofing (if you spill your tea all the time.), etc.
Or really just like the aesthetic of a keyboard.
And, if you're somewhat serious/competitive, then you'll want something better than membrane, you want 'faster' reactions, better feeling, more control and such.
Now, it may not seem like much on paper, but, the responsiveness you get from better switches is amazing. I didn't think mechanical switches would be much better than membrane up until a week ago, boy was I wrong. They've made basically everything I do much better.
Type faster, easier, longer. In games I react faster, much more fluid controls, etc.
A good keyboard is just nicer all around, sure there's junk out there, but honestly, you can't go wrong with a mechanical keyboard.
I've heard plenty of complaints about Silents vs Reds. They really do feel slightly less rigid because of the dampening, making the feel more comparable to that of a good quality membrane.
I wouldn't recommend it.
Of the most common Cherry MX switches which is the blue, brown and red I prefer either of the blue or red above the brown but the brown just had the better price when I bought mine. Blue you can feel when you press down just before it activates and it make a sound but they are pretty high pitched in sound, people consider them good for typing, brown have a minimal feel when pressed down but doesn't make a sound though they all do when bottoming out and red ones are linear so you can't feel when it activates and nothing springs in it when that happen but it still make a sound when you bottom out. And then Razer have some they call greens and there's blacks which is like red but require more force and transparent or silver or whatever and stuff like that but it's just variations.
Beyond the switch choice I don't like this keyboard because of the missing keys to some extent, because it light weight to a huge degree because it moves when playing and the rubber feet wore out and the plastic is cheap and wore down by the nails too.
There's also the Logitech G910 which use an ALPS like switch but sadly with a similar behavior to the Cherry MX brown, I would prefer them if they were more tactile and noisier. I think some new Das Keyboard use a more tactile/noisier variant of them? It's Omron who make them now I think.
Also there's the old buckling spring keyboards still being made and just recently two kinds of optical switches has entered the market and I would be kinda curious about those. I think Gigabyte sell at-least one keyboard with them but there's others too. One of the optical kinds I think can also handle water and this keyboard I have even if you spill a tiny amount of tea into it it stop function for hours until it's dried up so that's annoying because sometimes that happens. And there's the Topre switches in the RealForce and Mathias keyboards too.
I'd go with a full sized one of good weight which sit still on the table (though on an oversized mouse pad maybe you can have both on it and get it to stay put anyway.)
I would prefer tactile & some noise alps or topre switches over cherry mx but there's not many keyboards to choose from. I would likely had ordered an optical one rather than a cherry mx one next just to try it out but I would kinda want to know how it feels and sounds first. I would prefer a more bassy "tud tud" rather than "tit tit" sound from the keys.
Some links:
https://www.amazon.com/BLOODY-B840-Strike-Optical-Keyboard/dp/B01J2M601E
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Ek0c3HJdGo
Pretty similar to Cherry MX blue but 50 million clicks and it's not afraid of water =P
Also pretty cheap :)
More expensive: https://www.amazon.com/B945-Strike-Optical-Gaming-Keyboard/dp/B079MC67PC
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83yU_Ng7jjg
Gigabyte but it's more expensive: https://www.amazon.com/GIGABYTE-Optical-Mechanical-Gaming-Keyboard/dp/B079KFDJ3R
Das Keyboard X50Q, 5Q and Logitech G910 should have similar switches. Maybe G710 too.
The Topre keyboards are expensive https://www.amazon.com/Topre-Realforce-Keyboard-English-Layout/dp/B00B5SEHN2
How about going with those bloody ones since it's just $80 and isn't rubber dome and can handle the occasional splash?
Cherry MX and copies and ALPS/Omron use metallic pieces, buckling spring use a spring which bends when you press down and then contact something, the Topre ones are a mixture or rubber dones and a mechanical/metal piece, the optical ones use light and transparent stems or something such.
These last years these keyboards have had a bit of a come back but a long time ago they were very common including even more exotic and expensive ones. But back then the average PC also cost more. If you had bought a $10 000 PC maybe you expect a good keyboard but for a $450 one the cheapest will have to do.
I've used three Microsoft Ergonomic 4000 which is more expensive membrane keyboards but they broke easily, many Keytronic RealForce also membrane where I don't really know how they die but they stop working and two Logitech QuickAccess or InternetAccess or whatever they was called very cheap ones and totally disgusting. I also wouldn't want to use anything which feel like a laptop scissorstyle keyboard. I wouldn't consider a decent keyboard a luxary even less now with the patent expired. Using those other keyboards will be more costly soon because of the lower quality.
And so it doesn't really matter which one you get. They're all keyboards, they all have the same range of switches, and they're all built to more-or-less the same standard of quality.
You can talk all day about keyswitches, but again the differences from behind the keyboard are kinda small. I recommend Brown switches, they're soft enough to be great for gaming, but have a "bump" that gives you great feedback. Almost everybody makes a Brown or something like a Brown, so whatever you decide you like should be available with it.
I personally recommend DasKeyboard. I know they're really expensive and also really niche, but if we're judging by quality Das and Filco should top any list. I got burned-out with mainstream brands a couple of years ago, I basically got sick of buying new Corsairs and Razers every year. And so I bought a Daskeyboard, and it didn't break. Even after a few collections of short stories, two years of university assignments and a lot of gaming.
Das actually feel different to the others. Their keyboards have big, chunky metal frame and metal backplates. So they don't vibrate when you're typing, and I find that makes a surprisingly difference. They're also heavy, and don't move around much. And they're tough, mine has survived all of the work I listed, and my clumsiness. It also had another heavy keyboard laying on top of it for ten months, and is no worse for it. You couldn't do that with a Razer and get away with it.
Or is it just over exaggeration?
And, I own the Razer Blackwidow Chroma V2. (Razer Greens)
This thing is ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ heavy, like really heavy. It's made out of plastic, but it's not bad. No wobble when I type. Never moves around. Doesn't twist if I pick it up and twist it in the air.
Very solidly built.
Wrist rest does move a little (becuase it's magnetic), but never when I'm gaming or typing.
So, you're going by what you've heard?
Well, I'm going by personal experience and client experience.
Dampening material wouldn't change the feel that drastically. If anything, you'd only notice a difference if you had them side by side. But again, not that big of a difference, especially not enough to make them feel like a membrane switch.
Corsair doesn't have that great of QA, just like most gaming brands, so that is most likely the root of any complaint you've heard. If working as designed, it will feel practically identical to a MX Red switch, except no plastic on plastic sound on the press or depress and less drag. This may be why you've heard it feels less rigid, though this is a good thing actually and has nothing to do with rigidity.
I am using 1st gen K70 MX red and except that I have currently some issue with their software on my new computer, its running fine since 2014.
I tested logitech and razor, but didnt like them.
If I had to buy new one, I would probably go again with K70 or K95 with MX speed or MX silent switches.