The performance impact of internet security products
Many people cite performance issues as a reason why they're reluctant to run or end up uninstalling internet security products.
Independent testing organization AV-Comparatives has released the results of its latest studies on a range of security products, focussing on how they impact system performance.
It tested 19 products on an HP 350 G1 system running Windows 10 Home 64-bit and measured the impact on file copying, archiving and unarchiving, installing and uninstalling applications, launching applications, downloading files, and the PC Mark 8 testing software.
Using a system with no security software as a baseline it came up with an impact score for each product. An 'out of the box' system with Windows Defender installed scored 16.2, least impact was recorded by Avira on 2.3 and Avast on 2.7 with Kaspersky third on 5.4.
At the other end of the scale there's a tie for most impact recorded, with ThreatTrack Vipre and Fortinet FortiClient both with an impact score of 27.5. Lavasoft on 16.3 and BullGuard on 16.7 both have similar impact to a standard Windows Defender system.
The report points out that other factors, such as the age of the machine, the amount of RAM available, the contents of the hard drive and whether other software is up to date can also have an impact on performance.
The full report can be downloaded from the AV-Comparatives site with details of all the products tested and charts showing how they compare for different functions.
Image Credit: alexmillos / Shutterstock