I remember this from decades ago, there were big differences even in new ones.
Where the silent ones not necessarily were satisfactory for cats, since their hearing is more sensitive, and perceives higher frequencies.
OTOH some cats really like to sleep atop of them, maybe because of the warmth? Or what the electrostatics do to their fur?
I think hard drives are similar. There was something pleasing about the the 30MB ESDI in my first computer, but as hard drives got larger and faster, they also got more scratchy-sounding. Now I have a cheap PCIe M.2 adapter, and the sound it makes is like the newer hard drives, only less rhythmic. That alone makes it an irritant.
A similar (but likely louder and more irritating) high-pitched noise was weaponized as the "Mosquito" teen repellent device.