It seems like one of the components not discussed much in forums and reviews are cases that are especially tailored for quiet computing, or just happen to be good for it. Some of the characteristics I would think to be beneficial are big fan openings with wire grills instead of cutouts, and a large frame for good airflow.

For instance, the photo essay here at SPCR of the Dell computer show the case as being entirely enclosed in plastic, and this as possibly helping quiet the computer.

I'm wondering what are people's opinions are on what cases are good, and why. Thanks for the feedback!

This is very true. I thought about writing about this topic too because its not discussed here much. When i started my quiet pc journey(yea thats what i call it), there were many things that i read in webpages all about quieting power supplies, heatsinks, fans, but I didn't come across a single one about recommending a case. The case i had at first was a generic one i bought here at a local store. It was pretty cheap. It was around 50 dollars with a 300 watt PS. It has a side fan grill and usb in the front. You can put 4 80mm fans in the front and 2 80mm in the back. I think they did this mostly for advertising, because the holes cut out for them are really cheaply made and don't allow a lot of airflow. They just look like someone made a lot of tiny holes in that area. So i decided to get myself another case, one without a side fan, because i dont want the inside noise to leak out like it did in that one. So i got myself an AMS GMONO case from newegg.com for $55. It doesn't come with a power supply so that was perfect since i had bought a zalman 300 powersupply. This case has 2 80mm fan housings in the back and a 120mm or 80mm for the front. This case has a beautiful finish. It is almost like a cars, and construction is top notch, thick and solid. It makes my old case seem like a tin can, (comparing it now it pretty much is). There is a $135 aluminum one and that one has a 120mm fan in the back and 80mm in the front. If i had the money i would have gotten that one. It has gotten some good reviews. Here is the link on this: http://www.amselectronics.com/Products/PC_Servers/gt_cf1006.html#currentPageTarget

the laiin-li pc-70, pc-60, pc-50,pc-30, and all of their variants are great cases because they have many fan mounts for versatility, and they have many drive bays for silentizing gadgets.

The Chieftec clones are pretty good for silence due to their massive size (assuming you go with a mid+ tower).

They are rebranded by Antec, Elite, Enermax, Thermal Take, etc.