The Cherry MX Speed is a switch that was designed with gaming in the mind. The theory behind it is that a shorter actuation distance means there is less time between attempting to press a key and the keystroke registering. The result is a linear switch similar to the MX Red, but with a mere 1.2 millimetre actuation distance. The 0.8 millimetre difference between the Speeds and some other switches, such as Browns and Reds, may not seem like much. However, many people have stated that swapping to the Speeds initially felt very strange. They say that, when using Speeds, they accidentally press keys, simply by resting their hands lightly on top of the keycaps.

The main problem with the MX Speeds is how niche they are. The very tiny difference in actuation distance will only improve your performance if you play games at the very highest of tiers. Even then, the difference will be minor at best. This results in a switch that is quite hard to recommend – MX Reds, Blues and Browns are much more readily available and, in the vast majority of scenarios, perform just as well Speeds.