AVG or Microsoft Security Essentials

[InFiNiTyTM]

So I currently have AVG Internet Security 2012. I'm thinking about switching to MSE. So my question is which one is more lightweight, takes up less space, and works the best? Thanks,

[~Johnny]

I don't see why you'd switch to MSE, it has relatively mediocre detection rates, relatively slow scanning speeds, and generally likes suck up about ~70MB of RAM which is not particularly "light". There are much better free clients out there... Avast is certainly one of them.

And, in fact, AVG 2012 appears to have one the highest overall detection rates of any free antivirus.

[kslogan]

have been using AVG, but now MSE.

[iMav]

MSE is the best freeware for me... I even managed to install it on windows server 2008 r2.

[SfIsHeR1701]

neither, i do not like mse and the fact the updates have to come through windows update. i stick to avira.

You don't "Have" to update it thought windows update, there is an update feature right in the software itself.

[+SOOPRcow MVC]

Updates do not have to come through WU. They can come through the application too. See the big green "Update" button? Click it ;)

To take it even further I use a batch file that is run by the Windows Task Scheduler once a day that will update the virus signatures :)

@echo off
cd C:\Program Files\Microsoft Security Client\Antimalware
start /min MpCmdRun.exe -SignatureUpdate
[/CODE]

[spaceelf]

I very much liked AVGs firewall when I used it. So I'd say it depends on whether or not you use XP (which AVG has been known to destroy hahah, whoops) or like that firewall.

These guys claim AVG has many false positives though, and MSE gets very few - http://www.av-comparatives.org/

[episode]

neither, i do not like mse and the fact the updates have to come through windows update. i stick to avira.

Uh, thats not a fact. It will update itself without WU.

[yowanvista]

MSE

[neo1911]

MSE

[Meena Bassem]

MSE is much better as long as your windows is genuine. No antivirus at all is better than AVG. at least you'll save some resources used for nothing. MSE is lightweight on the pc and doesn't use that much resources.

[philcruicks]

I very much liked AVGs firewall when I used it. So I'd say it depends on whether or not you use XP (which AVG has been known to destroy hahah, whoops) or like that firewall.

These guys claim AVG has many false positives though, and MSE gets very few - http://www.av-comparatives.org/

I'd rather have more false positives that I can un-quarantine, than have it miss real viruses.

[c3ntury]

Hmm so which one should I go with? lol

Well judging from the responses on the thread, what do you reckon haha? :D

[~Johnny]

I very much liked AVGs firewall when I used it. So I'd say it depends on whether or not you use XP (which AVG has been known to destroy hahah, whoops) or like that firewall.

These guys claim AVG has many false positives though, and MSE gets very few - http://www.av-comparatives.org/

A quick few summary notes from this site too:

- MSE has the slowest on demand scanner, taking over twice as long as Avast.

- MSE has a detectection rate of about 92.1%, (infact, in the WORST 3 of the 15 products tested), though with very few false positives.

- Avira 10 has a detection rate of about 99.5%, (the highest) with few false positives

- Avast has the fastest ondemand scanner, rate of 97.2%, few false positives.

- McAffee was the only one not to pick up any false positives.

- Avast & Avira get full 3* ratings, MSE gets 2*.

Considering MSE also uses about 70MB of RAM, I'd say go for Avira or Avast's products. They're faster, and they give you better protection.

[spaceelf]

I'd rather have more false positives that I can un-quarantine, than have it miss real viruses.

I haven't seen any real viruses in my life.

When I do I'll let you know. Otherwise, as long as it's among the best options that's good enough for me.

[Scorbing]

MSE without a doubt. AVG has become bloated.

Agree. MSE is the best. Stay away from AVG. Like the man said, it is bloated, slow and in my personal opinion, useless.

[dead.cell]

MSE because it detected and a removed a difficult virus that AVG was incapable of seeing and Avira was incapable of removing. (anecdotal I know, but that's one reason I've stuck with it) Also it runs much lighter than AVG.

Avast is decent too though, would consider using them if I worried about viruses at all these days. :p

[Scorbing]

I personally don't use any kind of anti-virus. You wanna stay virus-free, use common sense. Stay away from porn sites, poker sites, don't click on everything that looks true such as "You just won an iPad, click here to claim your prize". Things like that.

I scan my PC with Eset Online scanner and Malwarebytes at least twice a week and I have zero infections.

[metallithrax]

I personally don't use any kind of anti-virus.

I scan my PC with Eset Online scanner and Malwarebytes at least twice a week and I have zero infections.

Bit of a contradiction there. You don't use anti virus but you scan at least twice a week with an anti virus.

Personally I use Avast, because when I have tried MSE, it bogged my PC down. Haven't used AVG in quite a few years.

[Kreuger]

I prefer to use Avast.

[+Warwagon MVC]

Had one woman who was using Avast, then upon it wanting her to renew it she thought she had to pay for it. So she uninstalled it and put AVG 2012 on it. She said, her computer was so bad she couldn't even use it. It bogged it down that much. I can believe it. AVG 2011 / 2012 is TERRIBLE!

My local competitor here in town loves AVG. In the window of his store he is selling OLD P4 systems / AMD XP / Celeron systems with 512 megs of ram and AVG 2012. WTF! How can that run good!? Those machines would have ZERO ram left upon startup.

[wahoospa]

MSE. Install and it takes care of itself.

AVG has become too big. The ads at the bottom of AVG can be blocked though.

[Obi-Wan Kenobi]

Had one woman who was using Avast, then upon it wanting her to renew it she thought she had to pay for it. So she uninstalled it and put AVG 2012 on it. She said, her computer was so bad she couldn't even use it. It bogged it down that much. I can believe it. AVG 2011 / 2012 is TERRIBLE!

My local competitor here in town loves AVG. In the window of his store he is selling OLD P4 systems / AMD XP / Celeron systems with 512 megs of ram and AVG 2012. WTF! How can that run good!? Those machines would have ZERO ram left upon startup.

these machines (the ones you describe) in my hometown are my money makers...I always remove crapafee/AVG from a customers' machine, especially on low ram systems...after removal, they (the machines) are way faster than when I first press the power on button for the first time. I think that people see the avg, and think "oh well, I've got an antivirus....that's all that matters. now, how 'bout some pron?) Nearly every machine that has came through my door has either had AVG or crapafee....or Norton! That's always the FIRST thing to go...and I always replace them with MSE due to the fact that it's released by microsoft, and since windows is made by microsoft, it often makes more sense to use it....because people always think, "since windows is made by microsoft, and they released an anti-virus, and it's their fault (microsoft's, of course) that I have a virus to begin with, why not let them fix it and then let my computer be protected by an antivirus that microsoft made..." sort of like microsoft knew there'd be viruses, then they made an antivirus to fix their flaws....put it this way, I've never had a machine come back due to infection....whereas, I've worked on several thousand machines whose owner thought they were protected with AVG or Avast....or crapafee or norton....and they tend to have severe problems with malware. I worked on a pc at a restaurant (the cash-register) that was so infected that it would take around 20 minutes to boot up...ended up taking out AVG, replacing it with MSE...and to this day, they've never called me back. I'm not talking about 512MB ram, either....this particular machine had 8GB of ram, and yet I could take my oldest pentium (pentium II slot), and it would smoke that machine with all of that ram. So yeah, without question...it's MSE all the way for me!

[Scorbing]

Bit of a contradiction there. You don't use anti virus but you scan at least twice a week with an anti virus.

Personally I use Avast, because when I have tried MSE, it bogged my PC down. Haven't used AVG in quite a few years.

Not a contradiction at all. Just because I don't use anti-virus doesn't mean I don't take care of my system and check it once in a while. Sometimes you go to the doctor to do a full checkup just to be sure you are OK, right? Same thing here.

It's called: Preventive Maintenance.

[Pam14160]

MSE.

[Meena Bassem]

if you are good with computers. then common sense will really work better than AVG