I've built my PC in March 2008 in a quite cheap Rebel 9 (without the side-fan). I recently ran out of hard-drive space and added a WD20EARS and decided modestly to revamp the interior. Here are a few images.
1. The "old" layout (in the end not much changed). Two fans at the front (Zalman ZM-F3 and a Sharkoon 140mm fan)
Note the wire grill on the left, which I decided to take out. There is also a ledge underneath the power-supply, which caused the fan to hiss due to turbulence.
2. Front of the old layout.
The hard-drive (WD320AAKS) was suspended with elastics o-rings. Age has taken its toll and it sagged, causing the hard-drive to occasionally vibrate against the upper fan frame. There was also a phenomenal amount of fine dust in there. The front mesh did its job in keeping the coarse particles out.
3. First approach in front fan arrangement.
Only afterwards I realised there is no proper spot to attach a fan at the rear (fan grill removed).
4. Second approach to front fan arrangement.
Now, if I had only noticed beforehand that there is only one SATA power connector cable on the PSU, I wouldn't have left the DVD drive at the top. So I had to move it to the bottom of the case later (*grumble*).
5. Arranging the hard-drive was a different story. But eventually I devised an acceptable arrangement.
I clamped the WD320AAKS in a slot of closed cell foam, while the WD20EARS rested on the floor of the case.
6. Another shot of the case interior.
7. Backside. The routing hole I cut myself when I first assembled the PC.
As it stands, the PC is reasonably quiet. The only time I notice it, is usually late at night, as I live next to a high-street. Word of advice: don't skimp on the case. Spend those extra 30 quid and get a Solo, which would have made a lot of things easier.
The hard-drive idle just under or around 35°C, but don't rise above 47°C under heavy load (e.g. the initial formatting). I haven't checked since I installed Windows 7 though. Better not to worry about such things too much.
In case anyone is wondering about the parts.
* Intel E2160 @ 2.7Ghz
* 3 GB of DDR2 @ 600 Mhz
* WD320AAKS
* WD20EARS
* Powercolor HD3870 SCS3 (neat, not a whisper, usually no coil-whine)
* Abit IP35 Dark Raider
* some Samsung DVD burner
* Scythe Mine (probably not the wisest choice, though it is quit quiet)
* one Zalman ZM-F3 (wouldn't go for this again), runs at ~800-900rpm
* one Sharkoon 140mm, runs at ~800rpm (not the wisest choice either)
Oh and one more thing. Masking tape gets incredible sticky after 2 years in a warm computer environment.
