Any Antivirus lighter than Windows Defender?

[badb0y]

Hey guys,

 

Is there any Antivirus/ Internet Security which is lighter than Windows Defender in terms of system resources usage/ system load?

 

thanks

[Raa]

If you want to pay, i'd highly recommend ESET's NOD32 antivirus. (Y)

[badb0y]

Is it lighter than Win Defender?

[adrynalyne]

Clam AV :p

[Marshall Veteran]

Windows Defender is not considered an anitvirus, it's anti-spyware and other unwanted software. This is considered a secondary defense when it comes to any threats.

 

In terms of resources used, you can't beat Webroot as it's a cloud-based antivirus. My experience with it proved to me that it's detection rates are substandard though. According to a lot of websites, Avast has a small footprint and good detection rates, although I've never used it so I can't offer any advice beyond doing some research.

 

Personally, I've used Eset for years and it has never failed me. It also is not a memory hog and has good detection rates.

[SnoopZ]

Windows defender is the new name for Microsoft's antivirus on windows 8.

[Juguard]

how much does windows defender use?  I use Kaspersky Internet security, and have been using Kaspersky since 1998, and never has it slowed me down.  I play some of the highest demanding games, and use Photoshop, rendering, and never have to turn it off.  Right now, it uses 85,808k system resources. :)

[DrakeN2k]

Some hate for this, but Norton is a very light client now. They have changed there ways after all the hate.

[Anibal P]

Some hate for this, but Norton is a very light client now. They have changed there ways after all the hate.

 

Norton is still worse than just getting a virus, AND freaking annoying as hell 

[badb0y]

Right now I have Windows Defender + Malwarebytes. 

If I install Kaspersky Internet Security can it replace both?

[Luc2k]

Norton is still worse than just getting a virus, AND freaking annoying as hell 

I'll give you the fact that it takes a lot of space on the HDD, but it's very light when it comes to resource usage. Elaborate on the annoying part?

 

Right now I have Windows Defender + Malwarebytes. 

If I install Kaspersky Internet Security can it replace both?

If you want the lightest, you should go with Webroot and keep the free version of Malwarebytes and do a scan every month or so.

[cropcircles]

You can go on and on with this discussion with allot of various opinions. My advice is to just try some different ones and see how it integrates into your system. There are a few good free ones such as Windows Security Essentials, AVG, AVAST, COMODO and then you have the paid versions such as Kaspersky and the top of the line IMO Symantec-Norton.  From the feedback I"ve read here at Neowin I've seen Windows Security Essentials being the most preferred. I've tried them all over the years and I'd go with Norton Internet Security or Norton 360 if you want the best paid version. I'm currently using AVG Internet Security 2014 and I'm pretty impressed with it. A bit aggressive at times but workable.  

[+Warwagon MVC]

Windows Defender is about as worthless as they come.

[Gerowen]

Been installing BitDefender Free on computers lately and it seems to be very light on resources, and it's won several recent comparison tests.

[Denis W. Veteran]

Avast. The background service averages ~3 MB of RAM, the UI app itself also 3 MB of RAM, and doesn't impact I/O operations that harshly (MSE/Windows Defender is noticeably bad here).

 

NOD32 as a close second though.

[monkeylove]

This might help:

 

http://www.raymond.cc/blog/which-free-antivirus-is-the-lightest-on-system-memory-usage/

[Charisma Veteran]

Avast has gotten a little bigger over the years, but I still swear by it. I just turn off all the skins and popups and such.

[LimeMaster]

AVG Antivirus Free doesn't seem to use too much resources and the notifications only popup if it has detected a issue that needs your attention. You might want to give it a try. :)

[Ambroos]

I'm very happy with NOD32, the first antivirus that I feel actually protects me from things others didn't protect me from (mostly evil Javascript and unwanted behaviour from software, not actual viruses). If I install a PC for someone else and it needs to be free I tend to go with Avast. Security Essentials can really slow down systems that aren't too fast already.

[+Warwagon MVC]

 

http://www.raymond.cc/blog/which-free-antivirus-is-the-lightest-on-system-memory-usage/2/

 

Mcafee and AVG .. :rofl:

 

This is why i'll never understand why my competitor always has computers in his window for sale with a spec sheet that says they have 512 megs of ram and he installs AVG on all of them. I'm always thinking WHY GOD WHY!

[Ironman273]

Just saw this article which is relevant: http://lifehacker.com/avast-2014-features-a-new-simpler-interface-built-in-a-1445993334

[francescob]

Avast has the lowest RAM usage among popular antiviruses however it's not the fastest. Also common sense >> antiviruses: disable all the browser plugins you don't need, set every update to automatic (including Reader and Flash) and check the digital signatures of files you download (if they don't have one make sure they come from a trusted website) and it'd be much harder to ever get infected.

[rafter109]

NOD32 + MalwareBytes. Very light on resources, barely notice that they are running. The combination also has an unbelievable detection rate with almost 0 false positives.

 

Edit: Avast may be lighter on resource utilization than NOD32 but it also has an abysmal track record detecting and removing viruses with both its on-access and on-demand scanners.

[Christopher Bruscato]

OK, a few baseline things to make sure we are all on the same page:

 

1) Windows Defender - Microsoft has and supports 2 completely different Windows Defender versions. Windows Defender can run on Vista\7 and in that capacity will only function as an anti-spyware product. Microsoft Security Essentials has to be installed alongside this version to have complete AV protection; or as complete as MSE provides which Microsoft describes as 'baseline.' Then there is the Windows Defender client built into Windows 8 and 8.1 which features full AV protection; and uses the exact same scanning engine that MSE uses based on Forefront; and enhanced with community detection. You can't really call this client 'light' on resources, it isn't.

 

2) Definition of 'light' on resources - this creates an issue for people to reply to you. Memory Usage is not an indication of performance unless there is a memory leak. Real World performance is determined by too many variables and will affect the performance of the product in kind. For instance, a product may use little to no memory; but as a result of that will take a lot longer to scan an outgoing e-mail causing your e-mail flow to back up. It could also make installations take longer, or even take longer for the install to launch. Could you perhaps describe a little better whether you have a low memory system, or are looking for the best performance\impact ratio of the product?

 

To be clear, no, you aren't going to find any product 'lighter' than MSE - without switching to a Cloud-Based AV. Cloud-Based AV's like Panda, Trend Micro Titanium, and Bitdefender provide very little impact on the system because they are just matching signatures to entries in the cloud. These products tend not to have the advanced Heuristic Protection you would find in a product like Kaspersky or ESET. You will find a lot of opinions about what the best AV is; because it depends upon the environment and application mix as to what results you will get.

 

 

[Knife Party]

no antivirus is better and lighter than using one. If you insist for weird reasons, I would guess Avast's new release might be something that is good  :pc: