this hobby is treacherous for those who are OCD or have anxiety or have any level of perfectionism. just deciding which kind of plate i prefer the sound and feel of is killing meeeee 😂 nice video bro 👍🏻👍🏻
I have a new plates comparison video coming out end of next month when my stuff delivers. It will include two plates that weren't in this lineup (copper and carbon fiber)
Soooo true! I’m still struggling to decide which plate I want for the QK65 v2 Classic since they are having a sale till the 22nd this month. I’m doing some serious research on these plates. I’m thinking of either going with PC or POM. It’s looking like PC for me because the Cidoo V65 has the PC plate and I love the sound of my Cidoo V65. The struggle is real out here for us. Help us Lord! 😫😫 Lol 😂
Fantastic video! Thanks for the comparison. I've been hunting for FR4 vs PC everywhere and your video helped me decide to go with the FR4. I'll be looking out for your future videos keep up the good work!
I'm so happy this video is getting noticed by more people... All 12 hours of my bloody fingers is actually providing value to the custom keeb peeps lol. Thank you!
@@hardlinenexus also, some constructive feedback! It would be nice for maybe a sound warning after the typing test and slowly transition into the dialogue as your voice shocked me. Nothing wrong with your voice though haha
Keep in mind that you might have plate preferences for each switch. There are popular switch plate combos like JWK on FR4, Inks on POM and MX Blacks on aluminium.
@@robertorgg137 There really isn't any "better" switch, since everything is preference in this hobby. But IMO, I think Alpacas are pretty good because I like clackier switches. Even so, I do still think that Gateron yellows are a damn good deal for the money, given that you lube them yourself.
I'm building my first ever custom and this helps *immensely* with regards to narrowing down plate materials on a budget, since I can't possibly afford to test everything myself. Many thanks to your sore fingers; your thoroughness is greatly appreciated by this newbie!
@@hardlinenexus put these in between (before and after) the word or sentences; asterisks for bold text, underscores for underlined text, and hyphens for striketroughs 😁
This was amazing, well done. I was just told about FR4 today which led me here. Your explanation regarding why you’ll be using certain plates in the future helps me out a lot as well. Overall, thank you for the effort and help this brings everyone.
It is interesting how different materials seem to respond differently depending on whether you are hitting a spacebar vs regular keys. The best I can tell is that the materials have different peak resonance frequencies. So one might sound deeper with a space bar but more pingy with a regular key because the resonance frequency is different. So, the POM has lower pitches with regular keys than an FR4, for example, but the FR4 spacebar is much quieter. The ALU has the bassiest spacebar but pings more than the POM (which is probably the second lowest on the spacebar). The PC has the lowest frequency on the regular keys but a higher pitch on the space than both the ALU and POM.
sound wise FR4 sounds the best. I was really interested in POM and PC because of flexibility and best typing experience. for me typing experience is #1, then sound.
Thank you for this comparison. I'm pre-ordering the Nuphy Gem80, which will come with an Fr4 plate, but they give you the option to purchase additional plates, and I couldn't decide on which one.
Thanks for working on this. I going to go with either Alu or FR4. I'm building my first keyboard already have the keycaps just going to do my first group buy for a keyboard and need to make that final choice. Thanks again!
Great video! It's funny.. I'm the total opposite in general. I've typed on alu/brass a good few times and always find the feel too harsh and the sound too high-pitched. POM is my absolute favorite as I just love the plush feel and deep thock/thud sound.
PC if you like poppy POM if you like a muted poppy then FR4 Alum and last brass. Personally I like PC and POM because I type lightly and I love the creamy sound on my aluminum build. Also PC and POM make plastic cases sound poppy and thocky at the same time. It's a soothing sound to me. Metal plates or more dense plates mute this but still sounds great! I may check out carbon fiber soon. Maybe!
Nice video! This really helps. Completely appreciate your huge efforts to made this video happen. So, is it safe to assume if I tend to change the switches of my keyboards quite often it's better to use alloy plates because it causes me less hassle when doing so compared to the more flexible pc or pom plates?
I can only hear small differences between FR4/POM/PC. However PC sounds closer to brass and FR4 and POM sound closer to Aluminum, imo, though the differences and subtle. Of course, aluminum and brass differences are obvious.
Which plate makes poppy clack sound better between Fr4 and PC plate in your opinion? Planning to use it for my sun68 using penyus switches. Based on video PC seems to be more poppy / clacky.
While I understand that lubing is different for each person, I'd highly recommend doing the test with filmed switches as I could hear the chattering of the switch housings during the sound tests
I'm going to do more of these... or at least comparisons of equal magnitude in terms of effort. But this time around, I'm going to do it on a 65% or 60% lol. Will be a bit easier
Does anyone know how the flex varies with these different materials? I would assume aluminium has the least amount of flex, but how about the others? I am considering a Monsgeek M3 build and there is no aluminium board available, I am looking for less flex.
Brass and PC generally will be on opposite ends when it comes to sound, but there are boards where they'll be closer. Same can be said with any plate, it depends on the board. Brass will also be stiffer and harder when typing so take that into account as well. And I think saying "upgrade" from PC plate isn't really accurate. It's not an upgrade if PC plate is better for you.
So I'm using an FR4 plate with black ink V2. But I feel like the sound is very muted. It feels fine weirdly super rigid while also feeling super soft to bottom out, without any flex in the plate. I like it but also wonder if I'd like a harder more tactile bottom out. And although it's nice that it's not too loud I do feel like I probably would prefer a slightly thicker and thockier sound. I can get a brass one but I'm not sure if I want to spend the money esp considering the fact that the case is already very think aluminium.and a brass plate will likely completely destroy my Bluetooth signal..and the Bluetooth is very important to me.
@@hardlinenexus Alright i got your point but i just discovered that the Alu plate of ROG Azoth is thicker than the aftermarket plates we get, I have decided now to get FR4 thank you for the video
@@hardlinenexus You have no idea how helpful this is to many people, specifically the one that bought a mode80 like me and you. Side by side comparison like this video allows people to contrast and not just listen for the ASMR bliss. We can't always compare video sound test to IRL sound, but we can always compare/contrast the configurations within the same recording setup.
Thanks you help me a lot. By the way what do you think about mode65? I wanna build a 65% keyboard around $300. My first choice comes to Vega, but I'm not sure when it will have next GB. So maybe I need to have an alternate option, can you give me some options? I only care about the typing experience and sound.
For this (older Eighty) keyboard? I don't think they sell anymore. But they have the new Eighty coming out. The PC plate is no longer an option but you can get POM plate which is very similar to it.
I agree with you! I actually initially wanted to use like tangerines, or kiwis, amongst several others in my collection... but based on the paper specs and feel of the Signal and Reflex switches here, they fall very similar to some other "popular smooth JWK switches". But at the end of the day too, there's so many different switches I could've used and even if I used a popular one like a HP or my Alpaca V2s, other people would also request comparisons with other switches. And this whole testing took me 12 hours to do lol. More importantly, as long as the testing methodology and setup is done correctly, the idea is you listen for how the plate makes it sound instead of the switches. If that makes sense? There's quite a few factors to consider here but I try to manage the constants and variables in a way that makes sense. This will not be the last comparison I do though. :)
i'm using tofu60 with brass plate (tray mount) is so not satisfying when using linear switches (no flexing 😅) maybe if i'm using gasket mount was different
Nope! Every keyboard has their own plate cut specifically for that board, this is true pretty much 99.99% unless it specifically states you can do some other aftermarket plate from another brand. I don't know any boards at all that can just fit any plate of that size.
Hard to tell. Sounded the same to me for the most part lol. At least when fully typing. I might be able to have a more significant difference without the middle gasket installed or on a different board
@@hardlinenexus same thing here, closed my eyes for a blind test and couldn’t figure out which was which. Thanks for your video tho, earned a new sub with all that effort!
5:25 alum typing
5:32 Fr4 typing
5:37 PC typing
5:44 Brass typing
5:50 POM typing
(putting these down so I can quickly hear which one i like)
Thanks
Life saver
this hobby is treacherous for those who are OCD or have anxiety or have any level of perfectionism. just deciding which kind of plate i prefer the sound and feel of is killing meeeee 😂 nice video bro 👍🏻👍🏻
I have a new plates comparison video coming out end of next month when my stuff delivers. It will include two plates that weren't in this lineup (copper and carbon fiber)
Late reply but I feel seen 😂
@takeagalbythehand one year later and i am still shook trying to decide what combination of foams and stabilizer mods i like the best 🫠
@@deepsp_ce I FEEL YOOOUUUU! I’ve been trying to figure out what would work best on my next keeb, and choosing plates makes me want to dissolve 💀
Soooo true! I’m still struggling to decide which plate I want for the QK65 v2 Classic since they are having a sale till the 22nd this month. I’m doing some serious research on these plates. I’m thinking of either going with PC or POM. It’s looking like PC for me because the Cidoo V65 has the PC plate and I love the sound of my Cidoo V65. The struggle is real out here for us. Help us Lord! 😫😫 Lol 😂
Fantastic video! Thanks for the comparison. I've been hunting for FR4 vs PC everywhere and your video helped me decide to go with the FR4. I'll be looking out for your future videos keep up the good work!
I'm so happy this video is getting noticed by more people... All 12 hours of my bloody fingers is actually providing value to the custom keeb peeps lol. Thank you!
The effort put into this video, my god
Thank you :)
@@hardlinenexus also, some constructive feedback! It would be nice for maybe a sound warning after the typing test and slowly transition into the dialogue as your voice shocked me. Nothing wrong with your voice though haha
Agreed, this is great, thanks for the amazing reference! One suggestion is for more tags/bookmarks for quickly switching between comparisons.
I nearly didn’t click on it because the thumbnail looked way too simple but I’m glad I did. Quick and easy.
Keep in mind that you might have plate preferences for each switch. There are popular switch plate combos like JWK on FR4, Inks on POM and MX Blacks on aluminium.
Oh this is very useful info for me. Thank you!
This is good to know because im looking for a new plate for my Alpacas
@@delook983 what is better, alpacas or gatheron yellow? What is the best plate for alpacas? I’m a noob lol
@@robertorgg137 There really isn't any "better" switch, since everything is preference in this hobby. But IMO, I think Alpacas are pretty good because I like clackier switches. Even so, I do still think that Gateron yellows are a damn good deal for the money, given that you lube them yourself.
@@user-maemmaemmaem I bought GMMK PRO and prevail epsilon XD... wish me luck, still on shipping
This deserves a like based on the effort alone, the info is just icing on the cake
I'm building my first ever custom and this helps *immensely* with regards to narrowing down plate materials on a budget, since I can't possibly afford to test everything myself. Many thanks to your sore fingers; your thoroughness is greatly appreciated by this newbie!
You're welcome! By the way, how did you bold the text on RUclips comments?! (Immensely)
@@hardlinenexus Ha! I didn’t even realize formatting comments was possible on YT! I put asterisks around it and apparently that did the trick.
@@hardlinenexus put these in between (before and after) the word or sentences; asterisks for bold text, underscores for underlined text, and hyphens for striketroughs 😁
Damn, thank you for your sacrifice good sir.
0 Dislikes, no bullshit, straight to the point, timestamps. The video couldn't be better!
That POM sounds nice :D
Bro you are a hero for putting this all together in a video! Great job, you helped me a lot!!
There's an updated version of this coming up next month. Will include carbon fiber and copper plates
This was amazing, well done. I was just told about FR4 today which led me here. Your explanation regarding why you’ll be using certain plates in the future helps me out a lot as well. Overall, thank you for the effort and help this brings everyone.
ive been looking for a video comparing pom plates for a while. thx man
There's a reason why this has 0 dislikes...
My fingers, blood, sweat and tears were not in vain... XD
Whoever disliked this don’t appreciate anything
6 now
@@Fleshlight_Reviewer ): how could u dislike this video
Edit: I know you didn’t but some people did
@@PapermuleFX sad ppl thinking it’s funny to mock other people’s efforts even if those efforts directly benefit their research.
Great video. Thank you so much for this very time consuming process about plates. Keep it up and show us more ❤
Thanks, I like FR4 the most
absolutely legend for doing this. Thanks, mate.
Very welcome!
Exactly the video I was looking for! Thank you, kind sir.
It is interesting how different materials seem to respond differently depending on whether you are hitting a spacebar vs regular keys. The best I can tell is that the materials have different peak resonance frequencies. So one might sound deeper with a space bar but more pingy with a regular key because the resonance frequency is different. So, the POM has lower pitches with regular keys than an FR4, for example, but the FR4 spacebar is much quieter. The ALU has the bassiest spacebar but pings more than the POM (which is probably the second lowest on the spacebar). The PC has the lowest frequency on the regular keys but a higher pitch on the space than both the ALU and POM.
This is the best sound comparison that I have heard thank you so much.
This video needs more views, I link it to anyone who has questions on sound profiles for Pcb plates
Thank you for putting so much effort into this video. It helped me make a smart decision for my next entry into a GB!
sound wise FR4 sounds the best. I was really interested in POM and PC because of flexibility and best typing experience. for me typing experience is #1, then sound.
Thank you for this comparison. I'm pre-ordering the Nuphy Gem80, which will come with an Fr4 plate, but they give you the option to purchase additional plates, and I couldn't decide on which one.
5:25 for alu typing.
5:50 for POM typing
Its all about preference, i read most of the comments , and everyone of them have different likes. So what ever you have just use it and enjoy
Thanks for this. Going with an aluminum plate for my 3rd build.
Subbed for the effort and quality! Very insightful video
Thank you so much!
Thank you so much for doing all the hard work! Cannot image the effort into this video. Thumbs up!!!
Liked, thanks for all the work man!
Thanks for sharing this comparison. I don't think I've ever seen someone press the space bar with their pointer fingers while typing.
Liked and subbed off of pure effort. What an absolute giga-chad.
Thanks for tip on installing switches into PC plate first. I just got a Hi75 and found this out hard way.
looking for this pom is my fav
Thanks for working on this. I going to go with either Alu or FR4. I'm building my first keyboard already have the keycaps just going to do my first group buy for a keyboard and need to make that final choice. Thanks again!
Thank you! and awesome, welcome to the club hahah
FR4 sounds amazing.
Great video! It's funny.. I'm the total opposite in general. I've typed on alu/brass a good few times and always find the feel too harsh and the sound too high-pitched. POM is my absolute favorite as I just love the plush feel and deep thock/thud sound.
Dat POM though. Whoa. But also liking the sound of alu. Hmmmmm. Tough choice.
PC if you like poppy POM if you like a muted poppy then FR4 Alum and last brass. Personally I like PC and POM because I type lightly and I love the creamy sound on my aluminum build. Also PC and POM make plastic cases sound poppy and thocky at the same time. It's a soothing sound to me. Metal plates or more dense plates mute this but still sounds great! I may check out carbon fiber soon. Maybe!
Ah! Thank you for the explanation!
The PC sounded good to me... is the PC softer? I have aluminum and it feels like hitting a brick wall on bottomout
Outstanding comparison, many thanks.
Huge effort! You deserve more subs sir
Thank you! ❤️
Thank you very much ! 👍🏻 I now know it’ll be brass for sure.
Nice video! This really helps. Completely appreciate your huge efforts to made this video happen.
So, is it safe to assume if I tend to change the switches of my keyboards quite often it's better to use alloy plates because it causes me less hassle when doing so compared to the more flexible pc or pom plates?
Whoa, just what I was looking for
Appreciate this more than you know 💯
and thanks for doing all that hard work we appreciate it
This was awesome and so helpful
Thanks! :)
5:38 PC
5:50 POM
Not all heroes wear capes. Awesome video!
which do you think is the most poppiest?
Yooo, I appreciate your work and videos you've put up. I was wondering if you could do an ANSI vs ANSI Half sound comparison
Thank you for your work sir. Keep it up!
Thank you for this!
definitely Sold on Brass for sound and low flex
LOL @ the soldered board. This video would have been a torture.
I can only hear small differences between FR4/POM/PC. However PC sounds closer to brass and FR4 and POM sound closer to Aluminum, imo, though the differences and subtle. Of course, aluminum and brass differences are obvious.
those glasses are CLEAN
Thanks hahaha
Which plate makes poppy clack sound better between Fr4 and PC plate in your opinion? Planning to use it for my sun68 using penyus switches.
Based on video PC seems to be more poppy / clacky.
Wow. What a hero! Thank you for this video :))
You're welcome :)
While I understand that lubing is different for each person, I'd highly recommend doing the test with filmed switches as I could hear the chattering of the switch housings during the sound tests
no u dont
Will the carbon fiber be the similar to the FR4?
Hey thanks, this was very helpful. Also damn, you looking swole.
Thumbs up because mine hurt so bad after making two boards in one day, I cant imagine yours lol.
What do you think sound thock Alu or PC
Who ever tunes those stabs deserves the nobel peace prize, lol
Thank you for your service o7
I'm going to do more of these... or at least comparisons of equal magnitude in terms of effort. But this time around, I'm going to do it on a 65% or 60% lol. Will be a bit easier
Does anyone know how the flex varies with these different materials? I would assume aluminium has the least amount of flex, but how about the others? I am considering a Monsgeek M3 build and there is no aluminium board available, I am looking for less flex.
I may have missed it but did you use any sort of foams in your build?
which material is best for sound?
great comparison! i share your feelings on pom and pc - i feel they lose some of the 'musicality', for want of a better word, of the others
They're all bearable tbh so I'd advice people to go for the cheapest since you don't really see the plate.
Thank you for this
Wich is the heaviest?
Aluminium and brass sounded like legoz
is it good idea to powder coat aluminum plate?
Fr4 and Pom for the win!
Thank you!
Despite anything... anything man, your efforts for doing this type of video is just priceless.
The new q1 pro has a pc plate. Is brass an upgrade? Hard to tell difference
Brass and PC generally will be on opposite ends when it comes to sound, but there are boards where they'll be closer. Same can be said with any plate, it depends on the board. Brass will also be stiffer and harder when typing so take that into account as well. And I think saying "upgrade" from PC plate isn't really accurate. It's not an upgrade if PC plate is better for you.
Maybe other types of switches can be added to make the comparisons even more in-depth. Still a good video tho!
So I'm using an FR4 plate with black ink V2. But I feel like the sound is very muted. It feels fine weirdly super rigid while also feeling super soft to bottom out, without any flex in the plate. I like it but also wonder if I'd like a harder more tactile bottom out. And although it's nice that it's not too loud I do feel like I probably would prefer a slightly thicker and thockier sound.
I can get a brass one but I'm not sure if I want to spend the money esp considering the fact that the case is already very think aluminium.and a brass plate will likely completely destroy my Bluetooth signal..and the Bluetooth is very important to me.
Is aluminum plate thicker than FR4?? was hoping to have my ROG Azoth's height to go abit lower of i change to FR4 if its thinner
@@TheEightDomain all plates should be the same thickness. If they were different thicknesses, you'd have fitment issues with your switches right?
@@hardlinenexus Alright i got your point but i just discovered that the Alu plate of ROG Azoth is thicker than the aftermarket plates we get, I have decided now to get FR4 thank you for the video
Thank you so much for your sacrifice LOL Subbed!
Thank you so much for the support! I'm actually surprised how many people have said this was helpful hahah
@@hardlinenexus You have no idea how helpful this is to many people, specifically the one that bought a mode80 like me and you. Side by side comparison like this video allows people to contrast and not just listen for the ASMR bliss.
We can't always compare video sound test to IRL sound, but we can always compare/contrast the configurations within the same recording setup.
you deserved a like and subscribe for the effort
hi! idk if you will see this, but are PC plates a lot softer than using alu? as in is it more muted?
PC plate is softer than alu. And no it's not necessarily more muted.
Hi, what is softer/more flexible? PC or POM?
PC was softer by a small margin
Thank you very much! Helped me out a lot
Thé FR4 is the best option I think you get flexibility hard pressure deep clacks sound also I used aluminium and pc I think the FR4 is good option
Thanks you help me a lot.
By the way what do you think about mode65?
I wanna build a 65% keyboard around $300.
My first choice comes to Vega, but I'm not sure when it will have next GB.
So maybe I need to have an alternate option, can you give me some options?
I only care about the typing experience and sound.
The FR4 slapsssss!
POM seems to be the way to go for a creamy sound
Hello! Do you know where I can buy the polycarbonate plate or where you bought your plates?
For this (older Eighty) keyboard? I don't think they sell anymore. But they have the new Eighty coming out. The PC plate is no longer an option but you can get POM plate which is very similar to it.
Nylon and fr4 for next edition of such comparison please?
I'll have to find a keyboard that has all the above plates plus nylon. If you know of a brand let me know, I can try and reach out to them
Bro I like it but I wish you would have used a more widely used switches. I have never heard of any of these.
I agree with you! I actually initially wanted to use like tangerines, or kiwis, amongst several others in my collection... but based on the paper specs and feel of the Signal and Reflex switches here, they fall very similar to some other "popular smooth JWK switches". But at the end of the day too, there's so many different switches I could've used and even if I used a popular one like a HP or my Alpaca V2s, other people would also request comparisons with other switches. And this whole testing took me 12 hours to do lol. More importantly, as long as the testing methodology and setup is done correctly, the idea is you listen for how the plate makes it sound instead of the switches. If that makes sense? There's quite a few factors to consider here but I try to manage the constants and variables in a way that makes sense. This will not be the last comparison I do though. :)
These switches came out only recently and were announced on Mode's discord server. I hear that they're really good!
i'm using tofu60 with brass plate (tray mount) is so not satisfying when using linear switches (no flexing 😅) maybe if i'm using gasket mount was different
Hey i have a question can any plate fit on any keyboard ??? Example 60% kyboard with random 60% plate.
Nope! Every keyboard has their own plate cut specifically for that board, this is true pretty much 99.99% unless it specifically states you can do some other aftermarket plate from another brand. I don't know any boards at all that can just fit any plate of that size.
@@hardlinenexus ok thx :)
What do you think sounds deeper, Polycarb or FR4?
Hard to tell. Sounded the same to me for the most part lol. At least when fully typing. I might be able to have a more significant difference without the middle gasket installed or on a different board
@@hardlinenexus same thing here, closed my eyes for a blind test and couldn’t figure out which was which. Thanks for your video tho, earned a new sub with all that effort!
Did you use plate foam for your build(s)?
Yes. Fully loaded.