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Best (Free) low resource anti virus


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I still have xp I cannot get MSE.I do not like avira since in my experince its just horrible resource hogger.WHat is the best free anti virus that does not eat resources

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For free Avast seems fairly good in this respect. For a paid option I'd probably look at ESET Nod32.

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I wouldn't recommend ESET NOD32. Got a free license from my ISP for ESET SMART Security and after installing it to try and see if it was improved from last time I tried it, had my not so weak test machine (i5 3570k, 16gb of ram, HD 7950 and Windows 8 64bit installed on SSD) having performance issues because of it. Programs started to load slower, regular internet surfing became slower and just the whole machine started to straggle with simple tasks; something that wasn't an issue prior to the installation of eset smart security. So removed it after a few days of use and the machine returned to normal operating speed.

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I wouldn't recommend ESET NOD32. Got a free license from my ISP for ESET SMART Security and after installing it to try and see if it was improved from last time I tried it, had my not so weak test machine (i5 3570k, 16gb of ram, HD 7950 and Windows 8 64bit installed on SSD) having performance issues because of it. Programs started to load slower, regular internet surfing became slower and just the whole machine started to straggle with simple tasks; something that wasn't an issue prior to the installation of eset smart security. So removed it after a few days of use and the machine returned to normal operating speed.

I've had problems with their full security suite as well, but the Nod32 by itself seems just fine. I had similar problems when I gave BitDefender Internet Security a try (after using just their AntiVirus for quite a while, which was just fine).

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There is no such thing as an AV that is light on resources, even though every single one of them claim to be!

 

They get integrated into your machine way to much, to be light, especially since all of them try to do everything under the sun now a days.

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Isn't NOD32 is the same as the ESET Smart Security, just without the firewall? I wouldn't think just the firewall would cause such performance issues.

Yeah, I was surprised too, but that was my experience with it.

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Hello,

 

I've seen this happen before when ESET was installed on a computer that had remnants of the previously installed security software still on it.  They end up causing a conflict which slows thing down.  ESET's tech support folks are generally pretty good about sorting those kinds of issues out, if you want to try it again in the future.

 

Regards,

 

Aryeh Goretsky

 

I wouldn't recommend ESET NOD32. Got a free license from my ISP for ESET SMART Security and after installing it to try and see if it was improved from last time I tried it, had my not so weak test machine (i5 3570k, 16gb of ram, HD 7950 and Windows 8 64bit installed on SSD) having performance issues because of it. Programs started to load slower, regular internet surfing became slower and just the whole machine started to straggle with simple tasks; something that wasn't an issue prior to the installation of eset smart security. So removed it after a few days of use and the machine returned to normal operating speed.

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I use firefox, adblock and ghostery, and the built in Windows Defender. Just be smart about what you click on/ install and stay on the mainstream websites. I use Linux if I want to torrent, watch pr0n, etc. :D

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The best free-low resource antivirus is your brain. be careful what you download, don't open emails or attachments from people you do not know or an unusual attachment from someone you know that never sends attachments.. watch out for websites that might seem sketchy.

I have not had a virus in over 10 years, this is with using the following suggestions i have made. If this is not a route you are looking to go. pcmag recommends AVG anti virus free 2014. and as a safety net Malwarebytes Anti-Malware 2.0 to remove any malware you might get

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You can still get MSE for XP (and it works).

 

But if you're in the market, I highly recommend ESET's NOD32 Antivirus. (Y)

You don't need to get the security suite if you don't need it - cuts down on the resources (and price!)

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Kaspersky Anti-Virus, not free but you should give its 30 day no obligation/limitations trial a go. It really is the dogs knackers!

Kaspersky isn't exactly lightweight though. If I recall correctly, the minimum requirements call for 512MB of RAM. Not appalling, but not exactly lightweight.

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Has anyone tried the home version of Sophos?

 

It's supposed to a be a lightweight managed version with remote cleanup if you get infected as part of the subscription.

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While MSE quite frankly sucks totally balls, I have tried Avast, and have loved it. On most on my machines that have had Avast I have replaced with 360 total security.While it uses more memory than avast, i've found sure still feels snappy. I've also found while testing that it sure does a better job at detecting poo packs better than Avast.

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on my old xp machine i had an older version nod 32 antivirus and it was great. core 2 duo 2.4ghz with 3gb ram and it barely used any resources

now on windows 7 a new version  of nod 32 still runs great with a new machine

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I did some tests some time ago, unless Avast screwed things up their AV was far below the memory usage of the others (60-70mb difference). I haven't measured how fast it scans though.

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