Anti-virus Software That Uses Minimal Computer Resources
AV Comparatives, the unofficial watchdog of the anti-virus software industry, recommends using an anti-virus suite that matches the computer's capabilities. Modern software on 10-year-old hardware is never going to run smoothly. AV Comparatives recommends at least 2GB of RAM for Windows XP and Windows 7 users and 3GB of RAM for Windows Vista machines. Still, anti-virus software has a reputation for overusing system resources and some releases do outperform others on that front.
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Avira Antivir 9.0 Premium
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Avira received top honors in the AV Comparatives December 2009 performance test, besting 15 other top products in terms of the impact on system resources. Sleek with a low profile, Avira's Premium edition was called the "future of computer security."
Norton 360 2.0
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CNet calls Norton 360 2.0 a "near perfect all-in-one solution for brand new PCs," but warns that legacy machines aren't up to the challenge of running the muscular program. While its overall profile is low by today's standards, Norton 360 2.0 is a comprehensive suite, so it needs the resources of newer Windows Vista or Windows 7 machines to run optimally.
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Kingsoft Antivirus 9 Plus
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Kingsoft also scored a three-star, Advanced + rating from AV Comparatives in the most recent test. In six categories including launching, archiving and encoding, the team rated Kingsoft Antivirus 9 Plus very fast in five of them and fast in the sixth category, giving it the second-highest overall score.
avast! Free 5.0
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AV Comparatives, in their comprehensive performance tests, awarded avast! Free 5.0 their highest three-star, Advanced + rating. The performance test makes no claims about efficacy, but rather evaluates a products effect on system resources in a variety of high-impact scenarios, placing avast! Free 5.0 shoulder to shoulder with its expensive competitors.
Vipre Antivirus + Antispyware 2010
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Vipre is a relative newcomer to the anti-virus scene, but they've gained notice for light-running, effective security solutions that match and sometimes exceed the performance of the big boys. PC Antivirus Reviews notes that Viper equals the performance of similar Symantec and McAffee products, while outpacing those titans in terms of resource usage.
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References
- Photo Credit ajuda ! virus! image by Mauro Rodrigues from Fotolia.com
