AV resource usage question

Discussion in 'other anti-virus software' started by WSFuser, May 5, 2006.

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  1. WSFuser

    WSFuser Registered Member

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    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?
     
  2. Blackcat

    Blackcat Registered Member

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    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.
     
  3. Trans

    Trans Registered Member

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    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 !
     
  4. Blackcat

    Blackcat Registered Member

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    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.
     
  5. Alphalutra1

    Alphalutra1 Registered Member

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    Not meaning to bash AVK, but from what I heard it isn't exactly a small program :doubt:

    Alphalutra1
     
  6. Blackcat

    Blackcat Registered Member

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    But again, despite its size and high memory usage, AVK runs without any slowdown on other systems.
     
  7. WSFuser

    WSFuser Registered Member

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    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?
     
  8. .....

    ..... Registered Member

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    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.
     
  9. WSFuser

    WSFuser Registered Member

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    thanx ....., i rele wish more AVs ran smoothly on my comp tho.
     
  10. .....

    ..... Registered Member

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    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.
     
  11. iwod

    iwod Registered Member

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    Which version of KAV was that?
     
  12. WSFuser

    WSFuser Registered Member

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

    iwod Registered Member

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    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 ^^
     
  14. .....

    ..... Registered Member

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    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).
     
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