I have the dock sitting about 2 inches from the edge of my mouse pad. I can hear it but it's not annoying at all. It seems like a low RPM deal. The card and this dock are the only SIIG components I've purchased. So far I'm impressed. Seems like high quality components that perform.
I left the system up overnight. The drive in the Sharkoon dock was quite hot. The drive in the SIIG was just a tad past blood warm. I wouldn't shell out another $57 just because it looks cool. It has to be cool! Literally.
edit: the only other consideration is vibration. If you have it right on the desk like I do you may want to put a bit of padding under it. I cut 2 strips from an old mouse pad. The dock itself is kind of arch shaped esp. on the bottom... probably to leave another airway for the fan. But sitting on the mouse pad strips I can't feel any vibe while my hand is on the mouse at all. Of the designs I've seen for USB 3.0 docks this looks like the best.
