alt Hacker NewsDon't Noctua fans generally go in builds made by people who like silence?
In which case they'd have silent cases with no glass panes, because those are thinner and a possible source of vibration. They may even glue (opaque) sound absorbing material to the inside of their cases.
In which case, who cares what colour the fans are?
I'm firmly in the I-want-a-quiet-case-which-sits-under-a-desk-so-I-can't-see-through-the-panes-anyway camp, but I sometimes wondered if glass wouldn't actually be better, since those models appear to be heavier than their opaque brethren. So I'd expect them to vibrate less, etc.