AV resource usage question

[WSFuser]

how is it that nod32 and antivir can run fine on my Athlon XP 2000 with max settings, and yet, other AV (e.g. dr web, KAV, avast) cannot?

for example, even on recommended settings (KAV), there is a slight but noticeable delay for it to read files on my external drive.

is my CPU too slow, the AV using too much CPU, the AV's unpacking ability, or what?

[Blackcat]

Your system should be powerful enough and assuming you have sufficient memory, you should not see any slowdowns. But sometimes it is simply the hardware/software mix on your particular system.

So an AV that runs fine on most computers will not on others. For example, a number of members here, including yourself, have had problems with Dr Web. In contrast, this AV has generally always run very well on all of my machines, including some very old ones!

That's why it is always recommended to try/test a new AV/piece of software on your computer before buying.

Further, even on power systems, sometimes the AV default settings may need tweaking. For example, selecting ALL files/archive/packed files to be scanned in the RTM settings may have to be changed for smooth running.

[Trans]

Blackcat gave the answer !

I just was impressed too with DrWeb's lightness when I was using it
at an old celeron 950 MHz with 256 mb memory....
It seems to me impossible to slow down a relatively new PC !

[Blackcat]

{QUOTE-> It seems to me impossible to slow down a relatively new PC ! <-QUOTE}
Again it depends on the software and/or system mix.

GDATA's AVK slowed down my new machines to a crawl! So it is definitely possible.

[Alphalutra1]

{QUOTE->
GDATA's AVK slowed down my new machines to a crawl! So it is definitely possible. <-QUOTE}
Not meaning to bash AVK, but from what I heard it isn't exactly a small program :-\

Alphalutra1

[Blackcat]

But again, despite its size and high memory usage, AVK runs without any slowdown on other (http://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=114469&highlight=GDATA) systems.

[WSFuser]

{QUOTE-> Blackcat gave the answer ! <-QUOTE}
somehow im still not satisfied with the answer.

like what software can cause an AV to perform more slowly?

and how do "max settings" differ from AV to AV? how do settings affect CPU usage?

[.....]

It depends on many things: What files are scanned, speed of scanning engine, bugs in software, amount of unpacker (and weather static or emuluation based), heuristics, speed of unpacking engine, when files are scanned (create, write, execute etc).

Alot of the above varies between scanners.

[WSFuser]

thanx ....., i rele wish more AVs ran smoothly on my comp tho.

[.....]

Max settings aren't needed for most users/ most AV's unless your an extremely high risk surfer or paranoid. Its all about finding a balance between security and speed of your system.

[iwod]

Which version of KAV was that?

[WSFuser]

i tried KAV 6 and it was on my Athlon 64 3200+ OC'd 2.57GHz as well.

[iwod]

{QUOTE-> i tried KAV 6 and it was on my Athlon 64 3200+ OC'd 2.57GHz as well. <-QUOTE}

Well KAV 06 has been EXTREMELY smooth for me. ( Please try it without proactive defense though as it cause problem for some )

Do a Full Scan Computer, after that your computer should run very smooth ^^

[.....]

I found WebAV to have the biggest impact on my system in Kav6, with just FileAV and default settings it runs fine with only a small impact (when opening select applications).