I abhor noisy fans. The fan in my HP laptop is quite quiet and it still bugs me. Perhaps it is "psychosomatic" in a way... I remember the days when a noisy fan in a desktop meant new fan RFN! I had a custom built PC for which I kept a spare fan on hand.

Re the laptop, my 17" HP has only 3 USB ports. I find the keyboard and touchpad very awkward so two of those port are taken up by a wireless mouse and a keyboard when it sits on my desk. I suppose I could get used to the touchpad but I hate the keyboard and it's proximity to the touchpad means *I* have to keep the touchpad turned off while I type (carpel and cubital (spg?) tunnels, me).