Open Cases...Practical/Useful Or just Cool/Gimmicky

[Justnotsleeping]

What are your opinions of open air PC cases? I have been looking at some really fantastic open cases which could form the basis of a really unusual looking PC.

Have you had experience of using an open air case? Are these generally practical for everyday usage.

I guess there may be a tiny bit of bit of extra noise depending on fans/AIO used, and may need to keep a can of compressed air nearby, but are there any major disadvantages to these in your experience.

 

[ttaskmaster]

There is often less noise, as there are no grilles, meshes, filters and stuff to obstruct the airflow.

Most of my fellow PC building friends would scoff at an open case, decrying it as the gimmickiest piece of crap ever to walk the Earth... but then they'll go take a perfectly good top end Corsair or Phanteks case, remove all the panels and cut loads of holes around the fan mounts to increase ventilation and reduce noise!!

Personally, so long as it has good points with which to heft the case around, I think an open case would be great. I dust my PC out every month anyway and most of the cooling is on water.
I just haven't found one that I like, especially in terms of cost. I also like modding stuff and having panels to which I can stick/screw/bolt/magnetise things is a bonus for me.