Advice Request AV/internet security recommendation

[R19933]

Hi all, looking for your AV recommendations, currently i'm running ESET on my laptop/media server, but the additional features cause it to be sluggish sometimes combined with some false positives i'm looking for a light non replacement since the license expires soon.
Current shortlist is:
- Bitdefender
- ESET renew (if everything else is heavier)
- Gdata
My priority is set & forget and light on system resources, combined with good protection since i'm downloading quite a lot.

Other recommendations are welcome and would love to hear your experiences with them, currently not considering Kaspersky since i've heard alot of companies / countries are not using it anymore, i'm afraid it will hurt Kaspersky in the longer run.

 

[Bot]

Bitdefender is indeed a good choice, it offers strong protection and is light on system resources. Gdata also has a good reputation but can be a bit heavy on system resources. Another option to consider is Avast, it's also lightweight, has a good detection rate, and offers a silent/gaming mode which minimizes interruptions. Always keep in mind to download safely and keep your software updated for the best protection.

 

[Ink]

Which ESET features are affecting performance?

Are you able to disable the additional features without compromising the overall protection of your PC?

Can you share the hardware specs of your PC? Are you running Windows 11 on supported hardware outlined by Microsoft?

 

[R19933]

Which ESET features are affecting performance?

Are you able to disable the additional features without compromising the overall protection of your PC?

Can you share the hardware specs of your PC? Are you running Windows 11 on supported hardware outlined by Microsoft?

It's not that it is affecting CPU usage that i'm aware of, just the bloated feel of features. Anti theft, webcam protection etc. Couple that with some false positives i received multiple times now (marked different applications as dangerous) which annoyed me to the point that i might look elsewhere for a more non intrusive AV with good protection.

Yes running W11 supported hardware with high enough specs for most work, 32gb ram, SSD, i7-1250U, tpm etc.

 

[RRlight]

Check AV-C for performance comparison:
Performance Test April 2024

 

[Ink]

Did you try Microsoft Defender Antivirus?

A full anti-malware solution without additional features, no intrusive notifications or subscription. Included with all Windows 11 devices. Some claim no performance impact, others don't agree.


Optional features unlock part of a Microsoft 365 subscription.

 

[R19933]

Did you try Microsoft Defender Antivirus?

A full anti-malware solution without additional features, no intrusive notifications or subscription. Included with all Windows 11 devices. Some claim no performance impact, others don't agree.


Optional features unlock part of a Microsoft 365 subscription.

Defender was pretty heavy on my system (noticable) and not a fan of their firewall.
Just looking for a good AV engine, non intrusive and a good firewall.

 

[robboman]

I personally would still pick Kaspersky over any other products, it has a proven track record in terms of protection.

 

[Kongo]

Hi all, looking for your AV recommendations, currently i'm running ESET on my laptop/media server, but the additional features cause it to be sluggish sometimes combined with some false positives i'm looking for a light non replacement since the license expires soon.
Current shortlist is:
- Bitdefender
- ESET renew (if everything else is heavier)
- Gdata
My priority is set & forget and light on system resources, combined with good protection since i'm downloading quite a lot.

Other recommendations are welcome and would love to hear your experiences with them, currently not considering Kaspersky since i've heard alot of companies / countries are not using it anymore, i'm afraid it will hurt Kaspersky in the longer run.

If you ask me, just get a good antivirus engine and ignore internet security solutions. Windows Firewall is totally fine if you tweak it with tools like Windows Firewall Control or Firewall Hardening

 

[Shadowra]

Microsoft Defender, Kaspersky, GData

 

[CyberDevil]

Honestly, maybe I love Eset too much. But this topic causes me some incredible bewilderment.

Eset is probably the most uncluttered antivirus on the market, except for solutions that include no web protection, no firewall, nothing at all, like Ikarus. And may be only Webroot can be noticeably (to the human eye) lighter than Eset.

The author writes about unnecessary features like anti-theft, but it is disabled by default, as well as password manager, as well as device control ... Camera control - yes, there is, but just disable it if it gets in the way.

False positives surprise me too. I haven't seen a single one in the last year, even though I have a lot of special development software installed, as well as a lot of repacks (hacked software) ... Even according to official tests, Eset has long been consistently in the lead in terms of no false detections. Especially with default settings, if you don't increase the detection level, which I generally recommend and always do.

In any case, if there are problems, they are usually solved in Eset by simply opening the settings and reading the help pop-up windows. You can disable archive scanning, lower the detection level for PUPs, as well as disable QUIC scanning, disable camera protection, and if you really want to, disable scanning of files at startup (they are scanned at creation anyway, so it makes little sense), as well as scanning of network and connected devices.

I believe in this configuration Eset will almost never show false positives. Although, in my opinion, this is too weak a setting. I have almost everything set to maximum and I still don't see them.

GData

I don't believe in magic. Even if they were able to do some incredible optimizations, Bitdefender inside + their engine is already harder than the average other AV.

 

[R19933]

Honestly, maybe I love Eset too much. But this topic causes me some incredible bewilderment.

Eset is probably the most uncluttered antivirus on the market, except for solutions that include no web protection, no firewall, nothing at all, like Ikarus. And may be only Webroot can be noticeably (to the human eye) lighter than Eset.

The author writes about unnecessary features like anti-theft, but it is disabled by default, as well as password manager, as well as device control ... Camera control - yes, there is, but just disable it if it gets in the way.

False positives surprise me too. I haven't seen a single one in the last year, even though I have a lot of special development software installed, as well as a lot of repacks (hacked software) ... Even according to official tests, Eset has long been consistently in the lead in terms of no false detections. Especially with default settings, if you don't increase the detection level, which I generally recommend and always do.

In any case, if there are problems, they are usually solved in Eset by simply opening the settings and reading the help pop-up windows. You can disable archive scanning, lower the detection level for PUPs, as well as disable QUIC scanning, disable camera protection, and if you really want to, disable scanning of files at startup (they are scanned at creation anyway, so it makes little sense), as well as scanning of network and connected devices.

I believe in this configuration Eset will almost never show false positives. Although, in my opinion, this is too weak a setting. I have almost everything set to maximum and I still don't see them.

View attachment 283500


I don't believe in magic. Even if they were able to do some incredible optimizations, Bitdefender inside + their engine is already harder than the average other AV.

Don't fully agree on that one, ESET lately pushes alot on extra features lately, they also changed the standard suites (Security essentials etc), ofcourse you can disable them all, but that's the case with almost all IS security suites, including Bitdefender, Kaspersky, etc.

For the last 3 weeks it showed Let’s Encrypt as a virus (lencr.org), also displayed my PDF reader as adware. so that's just my experience with it.
For me lowering the protection rate to minimize the false positives is a no go since I'm still downloading a lot and want to be protected, but in my case it was a bit too much.
So i could downscale towards NOD32 which still is an option just not that convinced with it.

 

[R19933]

I personally would still pick Kaspersky over any other products, it has a proven track record in terms of protection.

Very true it's a great suite, just worried that their reputation will hurt them in the long run, but that's just an assumption, how's Bitdefender compared to Kaspersky in terms of impact?

 

[robboman]

Very true it's a great suite, just worried that their reputation will hurt them in the long run, but that's just an assumption, how's Bitdefender compared to Kaspersky in terms of impact?

Last time I checked Kaspersky's yearly financial reports they were still doing very well. Places like Eurasia/South America/Africa/middle east are big markets for Kaspersky so I think they will continue to perform well.

 

[outlawxtorn]

I absolutely love Deep Instinct.

 

[monkeylove]

Follow RRLight's advice, and look at the same studies for protection as well.

 

[oldschool]

So i could downscale towards NOD32 which still is an option just not that convinced with it.

how's Bitdefender compared to Kaspersky in terms of impact?

It uses a fair amount of RAM, which is a no-go for some folks, but otherwise it's fast. Or you can do NOD32 and harden Windows firewall with @Andy Ful's tool as @Kongo suggested. Otherwise you're back to GData as @Shadowra advised.

 

[R19933]

It uses a fair amount of RAM, which is a no-go for some folks, but otherwise it's fast. Or you can do NOD32 and harden Windows firewall with @Andy Ful's tool as @Kongo suggested. Otherwise you're back to GData as @Shadowra advised.

Hm have 32gb so that should not be a problem, might test run it for a couple of days. If it's heavy might do Kaspersky/NOD32, cheers for the info

 

[BSONE]

I would suggest giving Norton AntiVirus Plus or 360 a trial, as it meets all your requirements. You will need to give them a credit card to register which is a a pain. You can find many cheap OEM licences on eBay which makes Norton affordable. Just remember to disable auto renewal and delete your credit card details from your Norton account afterwards.

 

[R19933]

I would suggest giving Norton AntiVirus Plus or 360 a trial, as it meets all your requirements. You will need to give them a credit card to register which is a a pain. You can find many cheap OEM licences on eBay which makes Norton affordable. Just remember to disable auto renewal and delete your credit card details from your Norton account afterwards.

Latest Norton test on this forum was a bad one though, let through some trojans .