Antivirus that isn't a hog?

Schmidty · 08-18-2010, 11:51 PM

I downloaded Avast yesterday to give it a whirl, and have come to the conclusion that while it might be effective, it makes browsing horribly slow.

Does anyone have an opinion on the best/efficient antivirus? I've used AVG and Antivir in the past. I actually was getting annoyed with Antivir after using it for a couple of years for the exact reason I'm annoyed with avast.

sovereignstar · 08-18-2010, 11:55 PM

Personally, I don't use one as I feel they are pretty worthless when you actually need them. That said, the last one I used was Nod 32 and you actually have to pay for it. Since you've already given the three most popular ones a chance, I'd maybe try Microsoft's Security Essentials. People were given it good reviews when it was first released.

sovereignstar · 08-19-2010, 12:07 AM

Microsoft Security Essentials Review

Quote:

Conclusion

Microsoft hit the nail on the head with Security Essentials -- this antivirus suite is simple to use, proactive, and best of all, free of charge for genuine Windows users. It is also extremely efficient with system resources. Security Essentials is not as fully-featured as other players' antivirus suites including Norton and ESET, but it provides as the name implies -- essential protection. I personally would not have a problem paying for this software if Microsoft charged for it.

To those looking for an antivirus suite or want to upgrade their existing, we highly recommend investing two minutes to download and install Microsoft Security Essentials.

Schmidty · 08-19-2010, 12:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sovereignstar

Personally, I don't use one as I feel they are pretty worthless when you actually need them. That said, the last one I used was Nod 32 and you actually have to pay for it. Since you've already given the three most popular ones a chance, I'd maybe try Microsoft's Security Essentials. People were given it good reviews when it was first released.

I'm to the point where I'd pay if it were a good enough product.

I'll definitely check out Microsoft's Security Essentials.

-apoc- · 08-19-2010, 12:24 AM

I like AVG myself. I used to never use an anitvirus because they all hogged resources but I pretty much never notice AVG.

Honolulu_Blue · 08-19-2010, 07:09 AM

I like AVG as well.

Alan T · 08-19-2010, 07:12 AM

Avast and Avira are generally considered the best two free Anti virus right now. If you had issues with Avast being too much of a hog, give Avira a try.

MSE as suggested above is pretty light weight and not much of a hog but doesn't score quite as well in some tests. Still running MSE is far better than no anti-virus.

MJ4H · 08-19-2010, 09:41 AM

Avira and MSE are the top two choices for sure. The 3rd party tests I've seen show these two at the top of all choices, even premium (there are a couple of higher scoring premium, but these two are at least on par). I could show you the tests, but the graphic is on photobucket only for me and I'm at work, which blocks it. If I remember, I'll post it when I get home.

I personally use MSE, but I used Avira for a long time. Both are very light, though Avira is lighter.

cartman · 08-19-2010, 10:03 AM

I use MSE for the day to day active monitoring, then use a combination of Super AntiSpyware or Malwarebyte's Anti-Malware every so often to see if anything slipped through. Also, Hitman Pro often finds things that others miss, because it uses an aggregation of scanning engines.

DanGarion · 08-19-2010, 10:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alan T

Avast and Avira are generally considered the best two free Anti virus right now. If you had issues with Avast being too much of a hog, give Avira a try.

MSE as suggested above is pretty light weight and not much of a hog but doesn't score quite as well in some tests. Still running MSE is far better than no anti-virus.

I haven't seen any new tests with the newest beta version of MSE yet. They added some features.

That's what I use and I've had no problems. YMMV.

Quote:

New features in the beta of Microsoft Security Essentials include:

Windows Firewall integration – During setup, Microsoft Security Essentials will now ask if you would like to turn the Windows Firewall on or off.

Enhanced protection for web-based threats – Microsoft Security Essentials now integrates with Internet Explorer to provide protection against web-based threats.

New protection engine – The updated anti-malware engine offers enhanced detection and cleanup capabilities with better performance.

Network inspection system* – Protection against network-based exploits is now built in to Microsoft Security Essentials.

Alan T · 08-19-2010, 10:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DanGarion

I haven't seen any new tests with the newest beta version of MSE yet. They added some features.

That's what I use and I've had no problems. YMMV.

Yeah, I haven't seen any tests with the newest version, even internal tests from my own company. So I have no suggestions as far as that goes.

tyketime · 08-19-2010, 10:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Schmidty

I downloaded Avast yesterday to give it a whirl, and have come to the conclusion that while it might be effective, it makes browsing horribly slow.

Hmmm - I've been using avast for a couple of years now, and I hadn't noticed any significant browser slowdown. What are using to determine that avast is the cause? Before & After time tests? Gut feel?

Schmidty · 08-19-2010, 12:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tyketime

Hmmm - I've been using avast for a couple of years now, and I hadn't noticed any significant browser slowdown. What are using to determine that avast is the cause? Before & After time tests? Gut feel?

Both of the above.

I actually just turned off some firefox add-ons, and things are a tiny bit better, but I think that I should still be able to run more than 4-5 add-ons (including no script and adblock) without having a huge performance hit. Then again, I'm not a computer expert - That's what you guys are for.

the_meanstrosity · 08-19-2010, 01:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cartman

I use MSE for the day to day active monitoring, then use a combination of Super AntiSpyware or Malwarebyte's Anti-Malware every so often to see if anything slipped through. Also, Hitman Pro often finds things that others miss, because it uses an aggregation of scanning engines.

MSE for day to day and Malwarebytes and Super Antispyware for anything that slips through.

Autumn · 08-19-2010, 01:51 PM

Microsoft Security Essentials -- and this from someone who was as incredibly skeptical of a Microsoft security product as they come. I've tried all the free programs, and they're all archaic when compared to this one. It works quietly, without hogging anything, and gets the job done. In my experience it's been much, much superior to the others.

MizzouRah · 08-19-2010, 03:49 PM

AVG + Superantispyware

Schmidty · 08-19-2010, 04:00 PM

Installed MSE, and am liking it much better than avast. Thanks for the suggestions guys.

MJ4H · 08-19-2010, 05:00 PM

Mac Howard · 08-19-2010, 09:21 PM

As a result of a previous thread on this I introduced Avira and Malwarebyte to this PC and haven't seen any problems since and I don't detect any slowdown in browsing.

08-19-2010, 12:24 AM	#5
-apoc- H.S. Freshman Team Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Satellite Beach, FL	I like AVG myself. I used to never use an anitvirus because they all hogged resources but I pretty much never notice AVG. __________________ Share and enjoy

08-19-2010, 07:09 AM	#6
Honolulu_Blue Hockey Boy Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Royal Oak, MI	I like AVG as well. __________________ *Steve Yzerman*: 1,755 points in 1,514 regular season games. 185 points in 196 postseason games. A First-Team All-Star, Conn Smythe Trophy winner, Selke Trophy winner, Masterton Trophy winner, member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, Olympic gold medallist, and a three-time Stanley Cup Champion. Longest serving captain of one team in the history of the NHL (19 seasons).

08-19-2010, 07:12 AM	#7
Alan T Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mass.	Avast and Avira are generally considered the best two free Anti virus right now. If you had issues with Avast being too much of a hog, give Avira a try. MSE as suggested above is pretty light weight and not much of a hog but doesn't score quite as well in some tests. Still running MSE is far better than no anti-virus. __________________ Couch to ??k - From the couch to a Marathon in roughly 18 months.

08-19-2010, 10:03 AM	#9
cartman Death Herald Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: Le stelle la notte sono grandi e luminose nel cuore profondo del Texas	I use MSE for the day to day active monitoring, then use a combination of Super AntiSpyware or Malwarebyte's Anti-Malware every so often to see if anything slipped through. Also, Hitman Pro often finds things that others miss, because it uses an aggregation of scanning engines. __________________ Thinkin' of a master plan 'Cuz ain't nuthin' but sweat inside my hand So I dig into my pocket, all my money is spent So I dig deeper but still comin' up with lint

08-19-2010, 04:00 PM	#17
Schmidty Coordinator Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Early, TX	Installed MSE, and am liking it much better than avast. Thanks for the suggestions guys. __________________ Just beat the devil out of it!!! - Bob Ross

08-18-2010, 11:55 PM	#2
sovereignstar Pro Starter Join Date: Feb 2004	Personally, I don't use one as I feel they are pretty worthless when you actually need them. That said, the last one I used was Nod 32 and you actually have to pay for it. Since you've already given the three most popular ones a chance, I'd maybe try Microsoft's Security Essentials. People were given it good reviews when it was first released.

08-19-2010, 09:41 AM	#8
MJ4H Coordinator Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Hog Country	Avira and MSE are the top two choices for sure. The 3rd party tests I've seen show these two at the top of all choices, even premium (there are a couple of higher scoring premium, but these two are at least on par). I could show you the tests, but the graphic is on photobucket only for me and I'm at work, which blocks it. If I remember, I'll post it when I get home. I personally use MSE, but I used Avira for a long time. Both are very light, though Avira is lighter.

08-19-2010, 01:51 PM	#15
Autumn Head Coach Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Bath, ME	Microsoft Security Essentials -- and this from someone who was as incredibly skeptical of a Microsoft security product as they come. I've tried all the free programs, and they're all archaic when compared to this one. It works quietly, without hogging anything, and gets the job done. In my experience it's been much, much superior to the others.

08-19-2010, 03:49 PM	#16
MizzouRah Hall Of Famer Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Troy, Mo	AVG + Superantispyware

08-19-2010, 05:00 PM	#18
MJ4H Coordinator Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Hog Country

08-19-2010, 09:21 PM	#19
Mac Howard Sick as a Parrot Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Surfers Paradise, Australia	As a result of a previous thread on this I introduced Avira and Malwarebyte to this PC and haven't seen any problems since and I don't detect any slowdown in browsing.

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