Recently (past few months) I have noticed a problem with my case fans. I have a fan controller so I can adjust the speed of the fans and what not. The fans "studder" whenever I adjust them. For example. If I have the fan is turned down all the way and then I turn it all the way up they start to spin then slow down, then speed up, then slow down. Also when they slow down the light on the fans dim. What could be the problem? I don't know how to explain it other then "studdering". I don't think it's the PSU because everything else seems fine.

an overloaded PSU can be providing dirty power to all components before you start seeing symptoms. i'll save jam the trouble and yell at you for not posting all of your system specs. specifically, your PSU manufacturer and specs, how many HDDs, optical drives, video card, fans, etc. we probably don't need the serial number off every case fan, but your graphics card and motherboard specs would be a good place to start..

What fan controller are you using? Skip

I have a Apivia case with a build in fan controller. Mobo: MSI-K8N Neo4-f CPU: AMD Athlon 64 3700+ Video Card: MSI GeForce 7600 gt HDD: 1 seagate 160gig (internal) 1 seagate 320gig (external) Drives: 1 cdrw, 1 dvd PSU: PowerLink 500 watts RAM: 2 gigs dual channel corsair value select Fans: 1 120 mm 3 80 mm stock CPU fan anything else?

Yea bro. Thats alot of stuff just for a 500 watt. Im no expert. But you got a "newer" video card, video cards suck alot of juice. You also have 4 fans, which is an overkill of fans. But if you got a hot room, i guess. I also had an Apevia case awhile back, if its the PSU that came with the case. Then id get a new one, because the one i had only lasted a few months. Another possibilty is that fan bearings are shot, but they would rattle and what not.

yeah 5 fans, 2 optical drives, dedicated video, all running on a PSU that is a) a bit on the low side in terms of wattage, and b) from a no-name manufacturer. If the fans were dying you would almost definitely hear them whine and rattle. if the lights are dimming and rpms dropping, your PSU is struggling, and is probably damaging your other components as well.

I thought I actually had more then enough watts considering I see people with way more powerful pc's then mine with just as much inside, if not more with the same size PSU. How many watt psu would you all recommend. Also what brand?