Battle Windows Defender OR another antivirus for average user?

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Is Windows Defender Antivirus good enough? Should I stick with it or should I grab another AV? Any thoughts?
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King Alpha

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Hello guys, King Alpha here (AKA King Mellow, for those who knew me). I need your help with setting up the security config on my gf's laptop (ASUS TUF Gaming FX505DY). I'm totally outdated with regards to my PC security knowledge as I've been away from MT the past 2 years. So, please, guys help me with this.
 

amico81

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Gaming System -> you need an av with very low system impact.

Please test some trial versions of Eset, Norton or Cylance if you wanna pay for it.
If you are looking for freebies, take a closer look @ Panda ( light combo with voodooshield free) ,Avast/AVG ( tweaked by @Evjl's Rain),
Qihoo 360 TS
 
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King Alpha

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Gaming System -> you need an av with very low system impact.

Please test some trial versions of Eset, Norton or Cylance if you wanna pay for it.
If you are looking for freebies, take a closer look @ Panda ( light combo with voodooshield free) ,Avast/AVG ( tweaked by @Evjl's Rain),
Qihoo 360 TS
If you were to choose one of those AVs, what will you choose?

Thanks for your reply buddy. :)
 

Evjl's Rain

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Last edited:

Wraith

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Performance & System Impact - ESET, Norton
Computer Protection - Kaspersky, Norton, ESET
Internet Protection - Kaspersky, ESET,
Proactive protection - Kaspersky, Norton
Network Protection - Norton, ESET, Kaspersky
Ransomware - Kaspersky, Norton
Banking & Payments - all three are good
 

King Alpha

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@King Alpha: You may also post a preliminar config here Computer Security Configuration and get suggestions ;)
I can't, it's my GF's personal laptop hahaha. Kidding aside, I'll do that once I have my new PC, most likely this December (Can't wait :emoji_money_mouth: :D). Or maybe, I'll just update my old security config. Hope I can still find it haha.

Performance & System Impact - ESET, Norton
Computer Protection - Kaspersky, Norton, ESET
Internet Protection - Kaspersky, ESET,
Proactive protection - Kaspersky, Norton
Network Protection - Norton, ESET, Kaspersky
Ransomware - Kaspersky, Norton
Banking & Payments - all three are good

Interesting. uhm.. Maybe, I'll go with ESET for the PC's performance.

Should I use the standalone AV or EIS?
 

Burrito

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Interesting. uhm.. Maybe, I'll go with ESET for the PC's performance.

Here is a labs test for performance.

Higher bar = better.

Webroot is a no-go, it blocks nothing. So it does not matter if it's light.

Microsoft has a long history of being heavy. So this lab result is surprising. But for WD.... things they are a changin'...

1567561066844.png


The Wraith assessment above is on target and reflects recent testing.
 

Evjl's Rain

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Here is a labs test for performance.

Higher bar = better.

Webroot is a no-go, it blocks nothing. So it does not matter if it's light.

Microsoft has a long history of being heavy. So this lab result is surprising. But for WD.... things they are a changin'...

View attachment 223439

The Wraith assessment above is on target and reflects recent testing.
their tests for performance is unreliable because when you read their report carefully, you would see they use some values that not very useful in everyday usage
for example, they don't test copying speed and there is only 1 test for app opening (firefox)
if they test it, WD will get much lower score

I found so far av-comparatives give the best performance test, IMO, except the pcmark score which I don't really care about. The rest are what I want

When I choose an AV for other people, I will always choose a free AV because I won't have to worry about license expiration

after the license is expired, the users won't be protected and they may ignore the message and keep using the computers until they are infected. I see it frequently

Use a free AV + complement its weakness. You are good to go
 

King Alpha

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their tests for performance is unreliable because when you read their report carefully, you would see they use some values that not very useful in everyday usage
for example, they don't test copying speed and there is only 1 test for app opening (firefox)
if they test it, WD will get much lower score

I found so far av-comparatives give the best performance test, IMO, except the pcmark score which I don't really care about. The rest are what I want

When I choose an AV for other people, I will always choose a free AV because I won't have to worry about license expiration

after the license is expired, the users won't be protected and they may ignore the message and keep using the computers until they are infected. I see it frequently

Use a free AV + complement its weakness. You are good to go
What are the free AVs that you would recommend? :) I want an AV that doesn't affect the laptop's performance, because it's a gaming laptop. And also, it should has a good overall protection.
 
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Evjl's Rain

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What are the free AVs that you would recommend? :) I want an AV that doesn't affect the laptop's performance, because it's a gaming laptop. And also, it should has a good overall protection.
I still recommend kaspersy because the resource usage is good and the overall protection is great
but you should tweak it following my post here

I use kaspersky and avast on my gaming PC (different time) and I never have any complain
avast is a little lighter after tweaks

Most AVs won't have any problem with gaming except Emsisoft if you have low memory
BD in this first week because the memory usage is super high. It can crashes your games. After 1 week, RAM usage will reduce

don't forget to add game folders to exclusion of your AV so they won't be checked
 
Last edited:

Andy Ful

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@King Alpha,
Any AV with Game Mode will be good to try. The rest greatly depends on your computer setup and hardware. Windows Defender is not an issue at all (has Game Mode) when gaming. So, it would be the natural starting AV.

Here are some useful tips (Does Antivirus Really Affect Your Gaming Performance?):

"Tips for Making Sure Your Antivirus Doesn’t Slow Your Gaming
We’ve looked at why your antivirus may affect your gaming experience. Now let’s sum up the key steps you can take to make sure this never happens.
  • Choose an antivirus that doesn’t demand too many system resources. Keep in mind that free options target general users rather than gamers. When you install a free antivirus, you can expect essential protection and not much else.
  • Look for an antivirus that features a gaming mode. With this mode on, you can boost your frames per second, reduce lag, and disable nagging notifications. If you game a lot, this feature is a big winner.
  • Schedule automated scans when you’re not gaming. If your antivirus doesn’t let you do this, look for an alternative that gives you more control.
  • Update your antivirus before you start gaming. Is your antivirus asking for updates too often? Reduce the number of updates to one a day.
  • Don’t worry too much about Windows Defender. It won’t kill your gaming experience. Disable it only if you use a more advanced antivirus."
You can also look at the articles about optimizing gaming performance on Windows 10, for example:
How to Optimize Windows 10 for Gaming and Performance
https://www.ultimategamechair.com/optimize-windows-10-for-gaming/
(y)

Personally, I found out that on my computer the slowdowns are caused by updating Microsoft Store Apps. From the reasons I do not understand, the updates apply in the period of a few days. So, it is good to uninstall as much of them as you can.
 
Last edited:

King Alpha

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@King Alpha,
Any AV with Game Mode will be good to try. The rest greatly depends on your computer setup and hardware. Windows Defender is not an issue at all (has Game Mode) when gaming. So, it would be the natural starting AV.

Here are some useful tips (Does Antivirus Really Affect Your Gaming Performance?):

"Tips for Making Sure Your Antivirus Doesn’t Slow Your Gaming
We’ve looked at why your antivirus may affect your gaming experience. Now let’s sum up the key steps you can take to make sure this never happens.
  • Choose an antivirus that doesn’t demand too many system resources. Keep in mind that free options target general users rather than gamers. When you install a free antivirus, you can expect essential protection and not much else.
  • Look for an antivirus that features a gaming mode. With this mode on, you can boost your frames per second, reduce lag, and disable nagging notifications. If you game a lot, this feature is a big winner.
  • Schedule automated scans when you’re not gaming. If your antivirus doesn’t let you do this, look for an alternative that gives you more control.
  • Update your antivirus before you start gaming. Is your antivirus asking for updates too often? Reduce the number of updates to one a day.
  • Don’t worry too much about Windows Defender. It won’t kill your gaming experience. Disable it only if you use a more advanced antivirus."
You can also look at the articles about optimizing gaming performance on Windows 10, for example:
How to Optimize Windows 10 for Gaming and Performance
https://www.ultimategamechair.com/optimize-windows-10-for-gaming/
(y)

Personally, I found out that on my computer the slowdowns are caused by updating Microsoft Store Apps. From the reasons I do not understand, the updates apply in the period of a few days. So, it is good to uninstall as much of them as you can.
Wow! Thank you so much! @Andy Ful. ☺
 

SUPRA

Level 3
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Nov 26, 2016
109
I want to ask one question I have an laptop with windows 8.1 pro and recently got the security intelligence update so shall I consider other after market AV or this one is effective.
 
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SUPRA

Level 3
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Nov 26, 2016
109
Check Windows Defender demo webpage to see which features do not work on Windows 8.1.
WD on Windows 10 is much stronger, especially with activated advanced settings.
Thank you for your reply. actually I have only emsisoft and McAfee subscription left so what shall I do please tell me an effective protection without much system impact.
 

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