 Almost all pros nowadays have a mechanical keyboard, but are they actually better? In many ways, yes. More importantly, it's the way they feel. If you are a gamer, getting a linear switch keyboard can help you because it's much faster, so you don't have to wait for the keys to come back up and push it again. Plus, the smoothness makes it easier to strafe and move. It's not going to hold you back like if you had a heavy mouse. It's just a matter of feeling. Also, you could pick how smooth or how click your clicks could be just by choosing which switch you like. I recommend getting a switch tester to see which one you like before buying a whole mechanical keyboard. Getting any mechanical keyboard is going to make it feel noticeably better no matter what switch you get. You guys have to try it to see how mushy your old membrane keyboard really is. This also relates to sound. Most membrane keyboards sound loud and feel mushy, and you can change a whole lot with mechanical keyboards. You can go silent, for example, with the Cherry MX silent. You can also go cherry blues for that clicky sound and feel. Or cherry reds if you're a gamer. You can also loop the switches to get that more deep and satisfying sound. Some users call this stalking. You can also customize keycaps depending on what you feel you like. For example, rubber keycaps can help with grip, and PBT keycaps are really durable. You can also change the way your keyboard looks by swapping out keycaps and buying a new set. Being able to pull out keycaps also makes it easier to clean. The most membrane keyboards I see used are always disgusting because they have so much dust under them and build them. You can even go with a 60% keyboard if you desire more dust space for gaming. Or a TKL version if you want to ditch the numpad, but still keep the main function keys. Compared to membrane keyboards, mechanical keyboards have much more customizability, making you able to tailor to your desired feel, sound, and looks in the keyboard. But is it worth this price jump? Mechanical keyboards start at around 40-50 bucks, but I don't recommend them because although they are mechanical, the durability and switches are likely pretty bad. I would recommend everyone to buy a mechanical keyboard if you can't invest $60-70 in one. If you know what you want in a keyboard, I would go for that switch that's right for you. And if you think that's a lot, I would still recommend it because once you try mechanical, you really can't go back. It's kinda like a higher refresh rate monitor. It doesn't necessarily make you a better gamer, it's just gonna have a better feeling when you play with it, making you more calm and confident. You don't have to be a mega nerd to get into mechanical keyboards. Just find one that's ready for you, and I will guarantee that it's better than every membrane keyboard you have ever tried.