Heh, I guess I'm just utilitarian or something. This is how I keep my case:
(sorry, too lazy to resize/rotate)
I'm running a 1700+ oc'ed to 2 gigs so it's impossible to have the case closed and have it not combust. During the summer, I sometimes needed to put a house fan to the side.
The noise level's fine, though; all it has is a measly 1700 rpm fan.