In recent years, the landscape of antivirus software has undergone a remarkable transformation. The once prevalent dilemma of choosing between robust protection and optimal performance on Windows PCs has become a relic of the past. Users no longer have to sacrifice speed for security; modern antivirus solutions have evolved to seamlessly integrate into daily computing without the dreaded slowdowns that once plagued gamers and power users alike.
Gone are the days when launching a game like Half-Life 2 would result in a frustrating experience, as antivirus scans brought performance to a standstill. Today’s powerful computers, equipped with advanced multi-core CPUs and high-speed SSDs, can handle demanding tasks while maintaining security. The shift in antivirus technology has played a pivotal role in this evolution. Rather than performing exhaustive scans of every file, contemporary antivirus software employs behavioral analysis to detect suspicious activities with minimal resource consumption. Additionally, cloud-based threat intelligence allows for heavy processing to occur off-site, further alleviating the burden on local systems.
From spreadsheets to FPS: How our testing evolved
Our recent testing aimed to dispel the long-standing myth that security software hampers PC performance. We conducted a series of tests, running both quick and full scans while simultaneously engaging in graphically intensive AAA games. This approach marked a significant departure from previous methods, which relied on CPU-heavy benchmarks using a database of 20,000 names and addresses. Instead, we now utilize built-in benchmarks from resource-heavy games such as Cyberpunk 2077 and Forza Horizon 5, measuring their impact on frame rates during antivirus scans.
Furthermore, we assessed how each antivirus suite affected internet speeds by recording download and upload rates during idle states, quick scans, and full scans. This comprehensive analysis allows us to identify which antivirus solutions exert the least impact on overall system performance.
Antivirus-by-antivirus: Here’s how each suite performed
For our performance evaluations, we utilized a desktop PC featuring an AMD Ryzen 7 7700X CPU, an MSI RTX 5070 Ti GPU, and 32GB of DDR5 memory. The benchmarks were conducted under demanding graphical settings to ensure a thorough assessment of each antivirus suite’s influence on gaming performance.
<table tabindex="0" class="tablewrapper tablewrapper–inbodyContent tablewrapper–sticky tablewrapper–divider”>
<caption class="tablecaption tablecaption–top tablecaption–left”>
Internet Speed Test Results
<thead class="tablehead”>
<tr class="tableheadrow”>
<th class="tableheadheading tableheadheading–left” colspan=”1″>Antivirus suite
<th class="tableheadheading tableheadheading–left” colspan=”1″>Baseline (Download / Upload Mbps)
<th class="tableheadheading tableheadheading–left” colspan=”1″>Quick Scan (Download / Upload Mbps)
<th class="tableheadheading tableheadheading–left” colspan=”1″>Full Scan (Download / Upload Mbps)
<tbody class="tablebody”>
<tr class="tablebodyrow”>
<td class="tablebody_data” colspan=”1″>Avast One
<td class="tablebody_data” colspan=”1″>667.45 / 740.4
<td class="tablebody_data” colspan=”1″>565.56 / 702.75
<td class="tablebody_data” colspan=”1″>543.63 / 666.57
<tr class="tablebodyrow”>
<td class="tablebody_data” colspan=”1″>Bitdefender Total Security
<td class="tablebody_data” colspan=”1″>885.43 / 785.77
<td class="tablebody_data” colspan=”1″>N/A
<td class="tablebody_data” colspan=”1″>879.03 / 754.97
<tr class="tablebodyrow”>
<td class="tablebody_data” colspan=”1″>Malwarebytes Premium
<td class="tablebody_data” colspan=”1″>905.88 / 798.02
<td class="tablebody_data” colspan=”1″>904.79 / 722.06
<td class="tablebody_data” colspan=”1″>902.02 / 592.41
<tr class="tablebodyrow”>
<td class="tablebody_data” colspan=”1″>McAfee+ Premium
<td class="tablebody_data” colspan=”1″>821.8 / 933.2
<td class="tablebody_data” colspan=”1″>810.4 / 967.2
<td class="tablebody_data” colspan=”1″>807.1 / 948.7
<tr class="tablebodyrow”>
<td class="tablebody_data” colspan=”1″>Norton 360
<td class="tablebody_data” colspan=”1″>810.77 / 734.55
<td class="tablebody_data” colspan=”1″>709.56 / 606.89
<td class="tablebody_data” colspan=”1″>896.09 / 654.43
The results reveal that Bitdefender emerged as the frontrunner, with negligible drops in download and upload speeds during full scans. In contrast, Malwarebytes experienced a significant decline in upload performance, while Avast faced the most considerable degradation in download speeds. Notably, McAfee displayed an unexpected increase in upload speeds during scans, challenging conventional expectations.
Protected without the performance hit
For those who have been in the habit of disabling antivirus software during gaming or intensive tasks, the time has come to reconsider. The advancements in both hardware and antivirus technology mean that running security software no longer necessitates a trade-off in performance. While minor impacts on internet speeds may still occur, particularly when using VPNs, these are far outweighed by the benefits of maintaining robust protection against malware and ransomware.
In summary, the antiquated belief that antivirus software significantly hinders performance is no longer valid. With the right tools, users can enjoy a secure computing experience without sacrificing the efficiency and responsiveness of their systems.
