We aimed in the middle of Kaspersky’s AV stack and trialed the Internet Security 2012 version ($65; usa.kaspersky.com). For another $5, the Pure Total Security edition adds centralized security management for all household systems, parental controls management, a password manager, file wiping, and data backup.
Kaspersky recently overhauled its GUI, making it much simpler to work with. The company now hosts its reputation-based advice system in the cloud, which may add a little latency. But, on the other hand, it’s good to have a resource able to caution you about a given file’s trust level before you open it. The same cloud-based resources can also check application components, such as DLLs, and email for spam screening. Another clever Kaspersky addition here is malware rollback, which eliminates any system changes made by malware to the conditions of a previous session.
McAfee Internet Security ($50; home.mcafee.com/store), was recently acquired by Intel. Why? We asked, but reps only said that we’d find out very soon, wink-wink. The AV app has been around forever, of course, and is a perennial favorite for OEMs and service providers to offer as a customer incentive. In addition to antivirus, antispyware, and firewall protection, McAfee likes to talk up the product’s new anti-bot capabilities. Safeguards against malicious iFrames also bolster the app’s Web-based resume, as does “Deep Page Protection,” which alerts users before they step into a suspect Web site. We also like that McAfee automatically scans any added USB or other removable storage device.
Stepping up to McAfee Total Protection ($60) raises the package’s online storage from 1 GB to 2 GB, which is still lackluster in an age when 2 GB Dropbox and 50 GB ADrive accounts are free. The best draw in the higher-end product is anti-phishing protection. Otherwise, stick with the already well-endowed Internet Security 2012, which still provides functions like network monitoring (to show if you have rogue devices on your network) and Super Mode (a deeper inspection mode that kicks in when malware is detected).
- Antivirus Need...and Greed
- Contenders: AVG And GFI
- Contenders: Kaspersky And McAfee
- Contenders: Microsoft And Symantec
- How We Tested: Configuration
- How We Tested: Benchmarking
- Application Installation
- Boot Time
- Standby Time
- PCMark 7 Results
- PCMark 7 Results, Continued
- Web Page Load Time
- Scanning Time
- Do Antivirus Suites Have A Big Impact On Performance?




i think something is wrong with your numbers.
Also, the timing of this article was excellent. I had just been doing some research about what anti-virus software I should switch to, mainly based on performance, but I guess I just got all the information I needed.
I stopped using AV products on my personal systems back in 2003. Norton back then was god-awful on a Pentium 4 systems, seemingly crushing the life out of a system. Even with a first generation WD Raptor 36GB my P4 2.6 would choke not only with Norton, but also McAfee. I might not use AV software, but I do put it on my family members' systems when it doesn't kill performance. In that respect these modern solutions seem much better.
>>Apparently, this is somewhat like saying you can boil water at 230 degrees Fahrenheit instead of 260 degrees. As long as the water is at 212 degrees or higher, no one really cares.
i think something is wrong with your numbers.
I had kaspersky on my intel i7-920 system with a SSD app/boot drive, and kaspersky brought my system to it's knees compared to a clean system without any antivirus. It was like a computer from 7 years ago in it's response time. Try to install something? Took 10 seconds to start the pre-scan, then it would pre-scan and then install was slower. Run firefox from a fresh boot? Wait 3 seconds. 3 seconds? With a SSD?
I removed it and tried out norton internet security and everything is instant like my clean system. I don't even notice that I have it most of the time. I attribute that partially to my good system, but I attribute the other part to it not just adding arbitrary wait times onto everything I try to do. Use that processor! I have multiple more to spare!
I know people think dirty of Norton, but as long as it protects me while pretty much being invisible to my performance to the naked eye, I'll give the once slow kid in the class if he's a genius now. I don't know why, but it works.
Tom's something is wrong with your test bench.
If anyone is interested, I did ran my own tests for most of the latest security suites and have reached to the conclusion that Avast 6 is the fastest around. A scan on 10 GB of data on an SSD took ~2 minutes , compared to 8 minutes it that took Kaspersky to finish the same job.
I agree that Avira free should have also been included to balance the field a little bit.