So the fan is almost silent and you can turn off the light if it is bothering you.  It works great but I have 2 issues with it which you need to be aware of.  I have a 17 inch Viao and the USB is on the right side.  The cord you get with this cooling pad is not long enough.  The other is that I have an extended battery which raises the computer up and makes it harder to stay on the cooling pad because the pad is angled.  It has 4 grip spots but with my battery they don't work for me.  I have to put the battery off the edge to lay the computer flat on the pad.  This makes the computer off balance and fall off sometimes.  You can get cheap usb cords on amazon but I had trouble finding a USB to USB cord in stores.  I am content with this purchase but I should have done a little more research for my specific needs.Update: It died on me and it has only been 6 months.  I used it almost daily and for multiple hours everyday. 

Question: How does this fan work?
Answer: It works great