Hardware & Technical An antivirus you'd recommend for minimum/zero impact on ED?

stocko1111 · Aug 11, 2015

Hi all, not sure if I'm posting this in the right place but here we go.

After installing Windows 10 last week I decided to stick with Windows Defender. I was trying to figure out all weekend why ED was lagging and stuttering so much until now, when I've just switched off Defender and it the game seems relatively stutter free now.

Can anyone recommend a good, lightweight antivirus which has minimum impact on games and software. I had tried Bitdefender but that doesn't seem to be very good at detection as Windowes Defender picked up a file which that didn't which says it all really.

Thanks in advance.

Captain Fizz · Aug 11, 2015

Apparently Kaspersky has the lowest system impact according to some AV site.
Rubbish IMHO.

I use ESET and notice no issues. In fact been using ESET for about 8 years, very happy with it.

EDIT - As an IT person, steer clear of Norton / Mcafee

Space Fan · Aug 11, 2015

Hard to imagine how Windows Defender could possibly cause stuttering.. I'd switch it back on, it's a perfectly good anti-virus package in its own right. You don't need anything else. JMHO

Metalstardust · Aug 11, 2015

I have a very low spec PC and ED runs fine with Norton. I put Norton into silent mode whilst playing.

Surfinjo · Aug 11, 2015

It sounds like the virus checker or somethine else, is trying to run, while you are playing.

This is unacceptable and suggests either, your settings need adjusting, turning off autoupdate and autorun from example, or it's a very poor piece of programming.

Metalstardust talks about a silent mode. I don't use Norton myself, but any good quality service software should have such a mode. You can also get gaming mode tools which will turn off everyhting that isn't necessary, such as scanners and printers for example, while on.

Though I tend to think your stuttering may be caused by other things. My computer has quite good specs but suffers from this while playing ED. For my part I just ignore it.

stocko1111 · Aug 11, 2015

Space Fan said:
Hard to imagine how Windows Defender could possibly cause stuttering.. I'd switch it back on, it's a perfectly good anti-virus package in its own right. You don't need anything else. JMHO

I thought the same thing which is why it's taken me a good couple of days to eliminate everything else. Even now, in game, if I switch it on, lots of stutter, off again and it's fine.

Will try some of your recommendations, thanks all.

Kazacy · Aug 11, 2015

I use avast free and on install, i install only two modules: file system shield and web shield. For web browsing i use palemoon with noscript (i really hate the new interface om firefox).

ElGuappo · Aug 11, 2015

Avast Free here too. Used it for a few years (and over different spec PCs) and never had it cause a single problem with any game or program whatsoever.

Tepescovir · Aug 11, 2015

avast pro on everything except the gamerig which is never runs any antivirus.

Commander Debic · Aug 11, 2015

AVG free seems to work good for me. I dumped Kaspersky recently as it takes so long to boot up from cold with it, and they had major problems with some users not being able to run it in Win 10 of which I was one.

Ism · Aug 11, 2015

Ditto with Norton (free from provider), but I don't disable anything. Haven't had a problem with it.

Porina · Aug 11, 2015

I noticed a change in behaviour between the free MS AV in Win7/8 and Win10. The one in Win10 seems much more aggressive and likes to do full disk scans when it feels like it. I had to disable it on one of my laptops as it made it almost unusable as it uses a ton of CPU while scanning. To the OP have you tried excluding the ED folders? Wonder if that in itself might be enough.

Also looking with interest for anything that is low impact, free, has no annoying popups or other nags, and minimal false positives.

Cody · Aug 11, 2015

MSE works for me - plus an occasional sweep with Malwarebytes (which has yet to catch MSE missing anything).

- - - Updated - - -

I must need coffee, having just realised you're talking Win 10 - ho-hum!

Iskariot · Aug 11, 2015

stocko1111 said:
Hi all, not sure if I'm posting this in the right place but here we go.

After installing Windows 10 last week I decided to stick with Windows Defender. I was trying to figure out all weekend why ED was lagging and stuttering so much until now, when I've just switched off Defender and it the game seems relatively stutter free now.

Can anyone recommend a good, lightweight antivirus which has minimum impact on games and software. I had tried Bitdefender but that doesn't seem to be very good at detection as Windowes Defender picked up a file which that didn't which says it all really.

Thanks in advance.

Windows defender works perfectly for me.
In the past I used Avast and loved it too.
I have heard good things about the Comodo anti Virus too.
I have used the Comodo Firewall for many years now. It is superb.

GuruNot · Aug 21, 2015

stocko1111 said:
Hi all, not sure if I'm posting this in the right place but here we go.

After installing Windows 10 last week I decided to stick with Windows Defender. I was trying to figure out all weekend why ED was lagging and stuttering so much until now, when I've just switched off Defender and it the game seems relatively stutter free now.

Can anyone recommend a good, lightweight antivirus which has minimum impact on games and software. I had tried Bitdefender but that doesn't seem to be very good at detection as Windowes Defender picked up a file which that didn't which says it all really.

Thanks in advance.

Personally I am a fan of Sophos, it is free for home use but you will need to build yourself a UTM (physical or virtual) to manage it properly. Under the home arrangement you can install 15 endpoints, so you could manage the family's AV too (and block their web access

)

CMDR Chewbakke · Aug 24, 2015

stocko1111 said:
Hi all, not sure if I'm posting this in the right place but here we go.

After installing Windows 10 last week I decided to stick with Windows Defender. I was trying to figure out all weekend why ED was lagging and stuttering so much until now, when I've just switched off Defender and it the game seems relatively stutter free now.

Can anyone recommend a good, lightweight antivirus which has minimum impact on games and software. I had tried Bitdefender but that doesn't seem to be very good at detection as Windowes Defender picked up a file which that didn't which says it all really.

Thanks in advance.

Firstly, turn it off by un-checking (un-ticking) the "Use Windows Defender" option in its settings. It's a piece of junk that Microsoft shouldn't have the audacity to install in the first place.

I have been using and recommending Kaspersky (KAV/KIS) for about 15 years now and swear by it; it's one of the best you can buy.
The only other paid-for AV product I would consider is ESET.
Avoid MacAffee, AVG & Panda like the plague. Symantec/Norton appear to have got their house in order but I'm not sure I'd trust them yet myself, given their record on poor interface design and incompatibility issues in the past.

Avira seemed to be about the best free AV when I checked them out some time ago.

Space Fan said:
Hard to imagine how Windows Defender could possibly cause stuttering.. I'd switch it back on, it's a perfectly good anti-virus package in its own right. You don't need anything else. JMHO

Actually, it's not a good anti-virus product by any stretch of the imagination. Microsoft themselves have stated that it isn't meant to be a front-line AV.

Captain Fizz said:
Apparently Kaspersky has the lowest system impact according to some AV site.
Rubbish IMHO.

I use ESET and notice no issues. In fact been using ESET for about 8 years, very happy with it.

EDIT - As an IT person, steer clear of Norton / Mcafee

I don't know about KIS/KAV actually having the lowest impact, but 'rubbish' is definitely a bit harsh.

Wise words thoughout the rest of your post, though.

CMDR Chewbakke · Aug 24, 2015

Commander Debic said:
AVG free seems to work good for me. I dumped Kaspersky recently as it takes so long to boot up from cold with it, and they had major problems with some users not being able to run it in Win 10 of which I was one.

Yeah, I went to Win10 and then upgraded to KIS2016 and had issues with it not starting up. Then I checked their forums and found that a simple uninstall->reboot->install worked a treat.
I would seriously consider changing from AVG. I've seen too many infected machines where AVG hadn't done it's job properly.

Canasta · Sep 27, 2015

I dumped windows 8.1 windows defender in favour of an antivirus recommended to me for gamers.

Its called Webroot secureanywhere, and it has cut out a lot of the stuttering I was getting before, like when you approach a planet for the first time in SC.

It think that windows defender is resource heavy and inneficient in its real time scanning