AI Assist Lightweight AV for Celeron N4000 + 4GB Ram

[ZeroOne]

AI, I have a home laptop with Win 11, Intel Celeron N4000 and 4GB Ram with SATA Based SSD.

Laptop is used by my Old Folks for Documents editing, casual Internet surfing and Watching/Downloading Movies. Suggest an AV that is lightweight for celeron and provides good protection.

 

[Bot]

For a lightweight antivirus solution that provides good protection for your laptop with an Intel Celeron N4000 processor and 4GB RAM, I would recommend considering the following options:

1. Windows Defender (Microsoft Defender Antivirus): This is the built-in antivirus solution that comes with Windows 11. It offers real-time protection against malware, viruses, and other threats. Windows Defender is lightweight, doesn't consume much system resources, and receives regular updates from Microsoft to keep it effective against the latest threats.

2. Avast Free Antivirus: Avast is a popular free antivirus software that offers a good balance between protection and system performance. It provides real-time protection, scans for malware, and includes additional features like a network security scanner and a password manager. Avast has a relatively low impact on system resources, making it suitable for your laptop's specifications.

3. Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition: Bitdefender is known for its excellent malware detection rates and minimal impact on system performance. The free edition provides real-time protection, on-demand scanning, and automatic updates. It's designed to be lightweight and unobtrusive, making it a good choice for your low-spec laptop.

4. Avira Free Security: Avira is another lightweight antivirus solution that offers reliable protection. It includes real-time malware scanning, web protection, and a VPN (Virtual Private Network) for secure browsing. Avira has a small footprint and should run smoothly on your system.

Remember that while these antivirus solutions are lightweight, they still offer effective protection. However, it's important to note that no antivirus can provide 100% protection against all threats. It's always a good idea to practice safe browsing habits, keep your operating system and software up to date, and regularly back up your important files to ensure comprehensive security.

 

[Ink]

Laptop is used by my Old Folks for Documents editing, casual Internet surfing and Watching/Downloading Movies.

Further improve protection:

+ Limit permissions by creating a Standard user account, and password-locking the Admin account for yourself.

+ Limit apps to Store only to further prevent any Internet tools from being accidentally run.

+ All browsers except Edge, offer Google SafeBrowsing for passive browser protection against known harmful sites and PUA. Running an Ad-blocker is just as important as an Antivirus.

+ Optional, DNS-based content blocker at a system level.

These should no impact on system performance.

 

[Victor M]

For systems that are low in power or memory, you can try ReviOS. It is a utility that removes non essential Windows components. I used it for a about a week and it certainly made my 2015 core i5 run faster. I didn't find any signs of features breaking etc. Usually when you remove things from the OS you would expect things to break. But I didn't find any breakage. Maybe it's because I didn't use it long enough. But the site claims it is thoroughly tested.

 

[brambedkar59]

More than the CPU I think you would run into memory bottleneck first, 4 GB is not gonna be enough for decent performance. If you can add another stick of 4GB ram (don't know if your machine has additional slots, but that processor does support 8GB RAM), that would help immensely.

Avast & Kaspersky (considering low RAM can't suggest Bitdefender) seems best for the situation. Kaspersky is slightly heavy on CPU but it's file cache is one of the best. Try them both.

 

[ZeroOne]

Further improve protection:

+ Limit permissions by creating a Standard user account, and password-locking the Admin account for yourself.

+ Limit apps to Store only to further prevent any Internet tools from being accidentally run.

+ All browsers except Edge, offer Google SafeBrowsing for passive browser protection against known harmful sites and PUA. Running an Ad-blocker is just as important as an Antivirus.

+ Optional, DNS-based content blocker at a system level.

These should no impact on system performance.

Thanks, I always create a Standard user. Aside from security, I have also seen better performance with standard user.

Currently Palemoon with Adblock Plus is installed, and Adguard Home (DoH) is configured systemwide using YogaDNS.

 

[Bot]

Thanks, I have used avast one in past. It was okay, but processor choked to 100%.

If you experienced high CPU usage with Avast in the past, it's possible that it was conflicting with other software or there may have been an issue with your specific system configuration. In that case, you can try some alternative lightweight antivirus options that may have a lower impact on your CPU usage:

1. Windows Defender (Microsoft Defender Antivirus): As mentioned before, Windows Defender is a built-in antivirus solution in Windows 11. It is designed to have minimal impact on system resources, including CPU usage. It provides real-time protection and regular updates from Microsoft.

2. Avira Free Security: Avira is known for its lightweight nature and efficient resource usage. It offers real-time malware protection, web protection, and a VPN for secure browsing. Avira has a small footprint and should have a lower impact on your CPU.

3. Panda Free Antivirus: Panda is another lightweight antivirus solution that offers real-time protection against malware, phishing, and other threats. It uses cloud-based scanning to offload some of the processing to the cloud, reducing the strain on your CPU.

4. Sophos Home Free: Sophos Home Free is a lightweight antivirus program that provides real-time protection against malware and other threats. It has a minimal impact on system resources and offers additional features like web filtering and parental controls.

Remember to uninstall any previously installed antivirus software before installing a new one to avoid conflicts. Additionally, keeping your operating system and software up to date, practicing safe browsing habits, and regularly scanning your system for malware will further enhance your overall security.

 

[ZeroOne]

For systems that are low in power or memory, you can try ReviOS. It is a utility that removes non essential Windows components. I used it for a about a week and it certainly made my 2015 core i5 run faster. I didn't find any signs of features breaking etc. Usually when you remove things from the OS you would expect things to break. But I didn't find any breakage. Maybe it's because I didn't use it long enough. But the site claims it is thoroughly tested.

Thanks, Does it require reinstalling of OS?

 

[ZeroOne]

More than the CPU I think you would run into memory bottleneck first, 4 GB is not gonna be enough for decent performance. If you can add another stick of 4GB ram (don't know if your machine has additional slots, but that processor does support 8GB RAM), that would help immensely.

Avast & Kaspersky (considering low RAM can't suggest Bitdefender) seems best for the situation. Kaspersky is slightly heavy on CPU but it's file cache is one of the best. Try them both.

Already thinking of upgrading it. But I have always seen processor at 100% in task manager.

Ram is always less than 70%

What do you think of ESET for low end laptops?

 

[brambedkar59]

What do you think of ESET for low end laptops?

Yes, that should be good too.

 

[Victor M]

Does it require reinstalling of OS?

No ReviOS is an application. You run it, apply the template, and then it modifies and removes things from Windows.

 

[Digmor Crusher]

No ReviOS is an application. You run it, apply the template, and then it modifies and removes things from Windows.

Do they live close by? Because if you do this I have a feeling your going to be making regular trips to fix their computer. Nothing against the program but I not going to tweak any computer unless the user has the ability to fix what gets broken.

 

[Victor M]

Thanks, Does it require reinstalling of OS?

However running the ReviOS application requires you to be online, while it checks for new version and does configuration. So you will be vulnerable for 10-15 mins while it runs. Although you will still have Windows Defender Firewall running at that time, there are hackers who know how to bypass the firewall in it's default configuration. ( everybody has the same default fw configuration, so it pays to find flaws with that config ) And it is particularly vulnerable because ReviOS requires you to disable Windows Defender during install because Defender will complain about ReviOS making 'dangerous' modifications to the OS.

I have now switched to Tiny11. (Tiny11 : NTDEV : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive ) It does require re-installation of OS using their provided ISO ( burned to USB stick using Rufus) . But you can accomplish a secure offline installation, then install whatever security tools and then make a offline-state-secure-drive-image. (I use Macrium Reflect) This will then be your 'golden image'. And if you run into trouble at any time, you can restore from this golden image knowing that you will be clean. And also you can use this golden image on another machine, because upon finishing re-image and booting up, Windows will reconfigure itself to match the destination machine. All you then have to do is rename the PC.

 

[Jengo]

I will never install any custom modified OS, maybe some backdoor in it, modified code....
I only install any OS downloaded from the original source.

So if i were you i would not trust all these "light" windows versions.

 

[ZeroOne]

Do they live close by? Because if you do this I have a feeling your going to be making regular trips to fix their computer. Nothing against the program but I not going to tweak any computer unless the user has the ability to fix what gets broken.

Yes they do live closeby.

No ReviOS is an application. You run it, apply the template, and then it modifies and removes things from Windows.

I have tweaked windows using ReviOS Playbook, and have seen significant improvement in CPU Consumption. but I get a blank screen whenever I open Revision Tool.

 

[BigWrench]

I still have, and use occasionally, a Sony Vaio model PCG-7113L (64 bit ) 2007 or 2008 model. (Originally Windows Vista. Upgraded to Windows 7). With basically the same specs as OP, and have been using Comodo Free IS. It works great. VERY lite. Simple. I like that. Not a Comodo fan, or user on anything else, except for the free firewall when I use F Secure.

 

[Vitali Ortzi]

Probably best would be to not run a full av rather comodo cruel sister , voodoo
Or any security that's default deny and doesn't scan every io
Wouldn't use a full av on that system

 

[CyberDevil]

I had Norton on a similar laptop and I believe Eset will be just as good. As an OS I used windows 11 education N, if I remember correctly, there is less junk out of the box.

 

[anirbandutta01]

Already thinking of upgrading it. But I have always seen processor at 100% in task manager.

Ram is always less than 70%

What do you think of ESET for low end laptops?

Try K7 Total Security for low end laptop.

 

[ZeroOne]

Try K7 Total Security for low end laptop.

Thank you! Already decided to go with Eset + ReviOS