What is a good , low impact anti virus?

Hi,
I recently ordered a Sager laptop, and while i wait for it to arrive i am trying to figure out all the programs i will be installing on it. I am having difficulty deciding what security software/suite i should use. I was interested in Bitdefender 2012 after reading a review, but after further research it appears to use something like 1GB of memory while running and slows website page loading times by something absurd like 44%. Whether or not this is accurate information, i do not know. But, instead of wasting my money to find out, i'm simply asking:
What security suite (or plain antivirus) could i buy that will have very little system performance impact, and still have a decent ability to protect my system?

I have never gotten a virus on my 2 year old desktop, using norton 360 (which i hate).

PC usage habits:
I mostly browse the internet, play Starcraft 2, watch streaming videos, download torrents (selecting only .avi files generally, never download .exe files), and for this laptop i will also be using it for programming schoolwork.

My laptop specs: (im listing these in case you can tell me that despite higher system impact, i wont notice the difference due to having enough ram, or whatever else.)
8 GB 1333mhz ram
i7 2630QM
hybrid 500GB HDD - 4GB SSD

Some of the security softwares i am most interested in are:
Bitdefender 2012 total security
Avira

I am not particularily interested in a free solution, i dont mind spending 60 bucks or something if it means i could have better protection for my computer.

If anyone can help me I would greatly appreciate it. Please consider performace impact a software has, and its ability to stop threats when recomending something.

-Thanks, M2XD

 

Don't laugh-but Microsoft Security Essentials. Lightwieght, comprehensive and darn nice if you ask me. I use it myself and install it on all my customers computers (Unless they specify otherwise). Haven't had an issue yet.

And, it is COMPLETELY FREE!

 

ESET smart security - includes firewall, but nod 32 is just the antivirus.

It has the ability to easily switch off protection (unlike MSE) and performs much better in tests... but of course, MSE is free...

ESET currently running new version (5) beta... in release candidate phase.

Really recommend it...might not be the best in tests, but for a gamer, I couldn't ask more. Barely affects system performance - RAM usage is a bit high 60-70k, but CPU usage is non-existent, making it very light weight (RAM isn't typically a problem). Boottime is also not affected compared to others... and I've tried Norton, Kaspersky, F-secure.


http://www.eset.eu/download/release-candidate

 

ESET or Avast! for heavy protection
MSE for something light yet good in protection.

 

What's the reason for your Norton 360 dislike?
I often recommend Symantec NIS to those folks who don't mind paying and don't like to tweak their security software.
One problem with 360 was, that it lagged in using the latest Symantec tech.
F.i. while NIS 2010 was using '2010 tech', Norton 360 was using slower 2009 engines. I'm not sure if NIS and 360 are using the same engines now.
NIS also lacks some features as parental blabla and online backup.
For BitDefender 2012 suite experiences check the WildersSecurity.com thread for some opinions. link.

Personally, if I would spend some $50-60 on security software, I'd buy 2 lifetime licenses.
One for Malwarebytes'Antimalware/MBAM and one for Sandboxie/SBIE.
Combine the two with your build-in Windows 7 firewall and MSE and you're good to go.
If you buy one lifetime SBIE license, you can install SBIE on every computer you own.

-MBAM is one of the best antimalware programs available, it focuses mainly on current zero-day malware like banking trojans/rootkits etc; the really nasty stuff. It's meant as a supplement to an AV though, not a replacement.
-SBIE is a unique program that enables you to contain/restrict internet-facing programs, f.i. your browser or torrent program.
All data that comes in, is contained in a sandbox/restricted area.
It requires a bit of manual setup but then it offers excellent protection against web-based threats.
-Another option is to combine the free Comodo Internet Suite/CIS with MSE.
This will also require you to do some learning but protection-wise it's very strong and free.

Remember that there is a big difference between an AV (as per thread title) and a full suite though, both in protection level and in resource usage.
My recommended setups amount to a complete suite but perhaps it's not for you and you'd be better/easier off with a paid-for package.
Whatever you gonna use/buy, make sure to install a trial version beforehand so you know exactly what you will purchase.
Take 2 weeks to try them out, it might save you from frustration during the next 50 weeks.

 

I agree. It's one of the better scanners out there. It scores equal in detection rates in all the testing I've seen, but it's lightweight and just stays out of your way.

 

Kaspersky 2012 for the win

 

Definitely MSE, and perhaps Malwarebyte's Anti-Malware as well. MSE is better than a lot of paid AV applications out there, though I do hear good things about ESET.

 

um, don't mean any thread-jacking but why I've never seen anybody recommending Norton/Symantec products?

 

Because prior to their 2010 version, they were very bloated and resource hungry. People just assumed all their subsequent versions would be the same. Now since 2010, they've been some of the lightest and best AVs out there, but people still had that negative impression about Norton products.

That's really about it.

 

Very true, I hear a lot of good things about the new versions and how light they are.

But the negative past about being bloated and not finding anything (sort of like McAfee right now), this image will take a long time if it ever will be washed away.

I continue to use Eset Smart Security / NOD32 and cannot even imagine switching to anything else as it has been very secure for me and extremely light (as if you had no AV installed)

 

Panda cloud is quite light.

 

It looks like MSE could be good. I like that it's free to save me a bit of money, but mostly that it will be low impact of system performance. Im generally pretty smart about what i do so i dont think it would be a problem. I have no experience with MBAM but i've seen it recommended everywhere, so i'd like to know..
Would MBAM and MSE combination be wise? Do they both run all the time or is MBAM just a scanner you use once in a while? and of course, would this use much ram?

I will be playing SC2 mostly, and with 8GB of ram i doubt that will be an issue, and so as long as what i chose doesnt use much CPU im sure it would be good. thanks for all the help everyone.

 

I've never had problems running both on my computer. MSE is real-time whereas MBAM is on-demand. Normally, I don't scan the same file/folder with both at the same time, but I don't think they would be in conflict if I did.

 

Combining MSE and MBAM (free and paid version) works without a hitch.
The paid version of MBAM offers real-time protection and will then use some 45-50MB.
The free version only uses resources while doing an on-demand scan.

 

Eset NOD32 antivirus for the win! It has a lot of features, it doesn't crash... It just works. If you wanted free AVAST is great.

 

MSE
AVAST free
Avira personal

These 3 AV's are light on resources since I use one for every netbook units (Intel Atom N270/280 1.6GHz, 1GB of RAM) running on Windows XP Home.

 

Avira PE + Microsoft Safety Scanner on-demand works light and effective for me.