AntiVirus Performance Tests
Each year we run several
Performance Tests on the top
Antivirus programs to see how they impact a computer's performance. See the 5 tests below that we ran on
2011 Antivirus Software...
1) Memory Use:
Note: 10 separate readings were taken 1 minute apart while the computer was idling. The average memory usage (MB) is given in the graph below.
2) Reboot Time Increase:
Note: Reboot time after
Antivirus installation was compared to the reboot time without any
Antivirus software installed. Ten reboots were performed and the average increase in reboot time is shown in the graph below.
3) Installation Size:
Note: The installation size of each
Antivirus program before any updates were downloaded.
4) Application Launch Time:
Note: 50 launches of a web browser (Mozilla Firefox) were compared before and after
Antivirus installation. The average increase in launch time is shown in the graph below.
5) File Conversion Time:
Note: Conversion time of a MP3 file being converted to several different formats (MP3 > WAV > MP3 > WMA > MP3). The conversion time with
Antivirus installed was compared to the conversion time without any
Antivirus, and the average increase in conversion time of 10 trials is shown below.
Overall 'System Impact Score'
Note: The "System Impact Score" is a comparative score tallied from the above 5
Antivirus tests (Memory Use, Reboot Time, Install Size, Application Launch, & File Conversion). 10 points were given for a top ranking in each of the above
Antivirus tests, while 1 point was given for a bottom/10th-place ranking. The higher overall score the better (50 total pts).
Antivirus Versions Tested: Norton AntiVirus 2011, ESET NOD32 AntiVirus 4.2, Avira AntiVir Premium Version 10, Avast! AntiVirus Pro 5.0, Kaspersky AntiVirus 2011, BitDefender AntiVirus Pro 2011, McAfee AntiVirus Plus 2011, AVG AntiVirus 2011, F-Secure AntiVirus 2010, & Trend Micro Titanium AntiVirus+ 2011.
Each
Antivirus program is run with
Default Settings.
Test Computer Specifications: Toshiba Pentium Dual-Core T4200 @ 2.00GHz (64-bit), with 3 GB RAM memory and 210 GB Hard-drive running Windows 7 Home Premium.
Acronis True Image is used to create a backup image and to restore from before each
Antivirus installation, so each AV program runs in a similar environment.
Graphs compiled Nov. 25, 2010 (AVG, McAfee and Trend Micro 2011 added)
Previous Testing:
2010 AntiVirus Performance Testing,
2009 AntiVirus Performance Testing
Other Antivirus 2010/2011 Software Tests:
Want to know more about our Review Process? Watch this video...
Sorce:
AntiVirus Performance Testing - System Usage Tests for 2010/2011