> if the data was laid out sequentially on disk, and the computer was not accessing any other files on the disk in question (spinning disks for movies and other data, SSD or m.2 for OS itself), then it would be very silent

That's not true. Even a spinning sound of a 5400 rpm disk makes quite loud.

Whether you can hear it due to casing or distance is another matter. Most of the time fan noise will make you ignore it. When fan is not spinning I can hear laptop drives clearly.