It depends on which features that you have enabled on your AV. If you just use the basic file (memory) scanner the Read/Write Operations on Hard Disk will be much lower. What uses the most includes security products with firewall network control, with multiple AV engines, HIPS features, Web scanning, cloud features and mail scanning. Generally speaking more protection features enabled equals higher Read/Write Operations.
You can manually configure just about any security product to use less by either custom installation (only install basic features) or manually disable features that you don't need.
By default installation and configuration- Microsoft Security Essentials (Windows Defender on Windows 8/8.1) with Windows Firewall would use the least Read/Write Operations but you can manually configure Avast, Avira and ESET to use less.
It depends on which features that you have enabled on your AV. If you just use the basic file (memory) scanner the Read/Write Operations on Hard Disk will be much lower. What uses the most includes security products with firewall network control, with multiple AV engines, HIPS features, Web scanning, cloud features and mail scanning. Generally speaking more protection features enabled equals higher Read/Write Operations.
You can manually configure just about any security product to use less by either custom installation (only install basic features) or manually disable features that you don't need.
By default installation and configuration- Microsoft Security Essentials (Windows Defender on Windows 8/8.1) with Windows Firewall would use the least Read/Write Operations but you can manually configure Avast, Avira and ESET to use less.
The only problem have with Windows Defender on Windows 8.1 is that when I am opening folder full of executables, the folder lags quite. I think it is Defender's proactive scanning that causes it, and Umbra confirmed that I am right.
Maybe I have lots of read/write because I have newly installed PrivateFirewall in training mode