Good, reliable antiviruses and antimalware for a gaming PC

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slender_shady

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Apr 26, 2014
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I'm building a gaming PC that I hope I can upgrade for a couple of years...I know that I need both antivirus and antimalware programs to protect my PC from unwanted trouble...question is which ones are reliable, have a good price, and will help me out for the next years to come.Can someone help me choose which antivirus and antimalware to get, and explain why?
 
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Viruses ARE malware. Malware is just a more expansive term, used to include not only viruses but any software you don't like, such as the kind that encrypts your hard drive and holds its contents hostage for ransom, worms, trojans, spyware, advertising software, unwanted web browser toolbars, rootkits, software that secretly steals financial passwords, bot software that secretly controls your computer, pretty much anything that is in anyway malicious. I have never encountered a good antivirus program that did not protect against all malware, so the distinction between malware and viruses is in my mind a distinction without a difference.

Some people may be annoyed by Norton, but as I said, in every evaluation, from PC World, PC...
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mbreslin1954

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Nov 27, 2010
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For free antivirus I go with Avast antivirus. It has always rated high in different magazine ratings. If you're willing to pay for it, get Norton Antivirus. It does not bog down your system and it usually is the top finisher in the ratings I've seen. It usually finishes in first place, rarely lower than second place.

I would not buy the more comprehensive suites, all they offer over antivirus is things like parental controls, identity vaults, and other things I do not use. Almost all antivirus software now protects against all forms of malware, so there's no need for anything more unless it's for your grandma or you have little kids using the computer.

One great thing about the free version of Avast antivirus is that it has a tool that tells you what software you have that is out-of-date and needs updating, such as Adobe Flash, Foxit PDF Reader (which I use), VLC Media Player, web browsers, it's quite comprehensive. I can't believe Norton doesn't offer that even with their paid product.
 
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slender_shady

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Apr 26, 2014
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I've heard that people don't like Norton because it annoys them, and that free antivirus/antimalware programs often times don't work as well as ones you pay for... Is Avast really worth it? Also, I thought you needed both antimalware and antivirus programs to protect and clean your computer
 
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mbreslin1954

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Nov 27, 2010
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Viruses ARE malware. Malware is just a more expansive term, used to include not only viruses but any software you don't like, such as the kind that encrypts your hard drive and holds its contents hostage for ransom, worms, trojans, spyware, advertising software, unwanted web browser toolbars, rootkits, software that secretly steals financial passwords, bot software that secretly controls your computer, pretty much anything that is in anyway malicious. I have never encountered a good antivirus program that did not protect against all malware, so the distinction between malware and viruses is in my mind a distinction without a difference.

Some people may be annoyed by Norton, but as I said, in every evaluation, from PC World, PC Magazine, to Maximum PC, it almost always comes out on top.

So you don't like my best paid-for pick, nor my best free selection. So pick something else. Whatever suits your fancy, it's no skin off my nose.
 
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