Windows Defender vs. Third party antivirus

For normal home use built in Windows Defender would be enough supplemented with Malwarebytes (Free). It all depends on your surfing habits. For slightly more protection you could use Avast (Free). I personally use Windows Defender.

There are lots of 3rd party AVs out there and you will get a lot of personal preferences and suggestions. The choice is for you to decide. I would stay away from anything like Norton or Kaspersky, both resource hogs.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 8.1 Update 1 Pro 64bit
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Pavillion H8-1202
    CPU
    I7-2600 @ 3.4 GHz
    Motherboard
    PEGATRON
    Memory
    8 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NIVDIA GeForce GT 520
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC656GR CODEC
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung SyncMaster S22B350
    Screen Resolution
    1920X1080 32 bit color
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 850 EVO SSD 500GB
    Keyboard
    Razer Blackwidow Ultimate 2013
    Mouse
    Logitech M510
For normal home use built in Windows Defender would be enough supplemented with Malwarebytes (Free). It all depends on your surfing habits. For slightly more protection you could use Avast (Free). I personally use Windows Defender.

There are lots of 3rd party AVs out there and you will get a lot of personal preferences and suggestions. The choice is for you to decide. I would stay away from anything like Norton or Kaspersky, both resource hogs.
IMHO, Norton is a pile of chit. As for Kaspersky, I really don't notice a lag. Guess my system has enough memory and is fast enough so that I don't notice.

A problem I've had (more than once) is that Kaspersky is touchy. By that I mean I've had to rip it out and reinstall. Once was when I installed/ran Speccy. Not only did Kaspersky get hosed, it took Windows with it. Another time I'd created an elevated shortcut through task manager for SpeedFan. That was fine, until I put a copy of the shortcut into the Start up folder. Kaspersky fried. Another rip and reinstall.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 64bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP h8 envy 1534
    CPU
    AMD FX-6200 (3.8GHz)
    Motherboard
    M3970AM-HP (Angelica2) (Gigabyte)
    Memory
    10GB DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    Eyefinity Radeon HD 7570
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Kaskersky Internet Security 2016
From all the free AVs I had best experience with Avast but Bitdefender and AVG are no slouches either. "Heavy gunns" like Kasperski in my opinion are waste of resources and more complications than free ones, for home use at least. Occasional runs of Malwarebytes can help fill some voids in security but only once or twice in last couple of years I had to use it to solve a problem because I consider myself as best AV and watch what I'm doing on the net and downloading stuff. Also using McShield MCShield ::Anti-Malware Tool:: for defending from USB memory infestation. (I have a lot of stuff going thru that).
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home made
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen7 2700x
    Motherboard
    Asus Prime x470 Pro
    Memory
    16GB Kingston 3600
    Graphics Card(s)
    Asus strix 570 OC 4gb
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 960 evo 250GB
    Silicon Power V70 240GB SSD
    WD 1 TB Blue
    WD 2 TB Blue
    Bunch of backup HDDs.
    PSU
    Sharkoon, Silent Storm 660W
    Case
    Raidmax
    Cooling
    CCM Nepton 140xl
    Internet Speed
    40/2 Mbps
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    WD

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8.1.1 Pro x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo E525
    CPU
    AMD A4-3300M @ 2,0GHz
    Memory
    6GB DDR3 1333MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD Radeon HD 6480G 512MB shared
    Sound Card
    Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768
    Hard Drives
    WD 465GB
    Cooling
    Fusion Tweaker
    Keyboard
    Logitech K360
    Mouse
    Logitech M705
    Internet Speed
    50/50 MBps
    Browser
    Yandex
    Antivirus
    No AV & No Firewall
    Other Info
    Headphones: Sennheiser RS170
While others here will swear by Windows Defender or Microsoft Security Essentials the fact of the matter is that Windows Defender or Microsoft Security Essentials will only protect you from 80% of the threats in the wild, which is fine for normal use. EVEN if it does spot more than 80% of the threats thrown at it, it's removal rate is really where it falls short.
If you surf the "unconventional" parts of the web, store sensitive information, credit card info, bank account info, basically anything you don't want in the hands of someone else on your system I HIGHLY recommend using something with a little more protection.

As of right now the top 3 antivirus vendors are:
1. Trend Micro - Blocks 100% of the threats in the wild with a very low ratio of false positives, 5 out of 200.

2. Qihoo 360 - Blocks 99.5% of threats in the wild with 0 false positives out of 200.

3. Panda - Blocks 99.5% of threats with 6 false positive out of 200.

I've tried them all, all work fine on Windows 8.1.

I did not post this to stomp on Windows Defender, like I said it's fine for normal use, but realistically, facts are facts.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7 Home Premium x64 / Windows 8.1 Pro x64 Dual Boot
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP
    Memory
    8 gigs
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia GE Force 5200
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HP 2009M x's 2
    Screen Resolution
    1600 x 900 x's 2
    Hard Drives
    One internal Western Digital HD 650 GB
    Three external Western Digital HD's - 1 TB each
edee, with all due respect, do you have a link for reference ? Never seen Trend Micro rated so high.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8.1 64bit
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Toshiba
    CPU
    Intel i3, 2348
    Memory
    4GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD3000

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8.1 Update x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion 15
    CPU
    Haswell Core i5 4200U
    Memory
    8GB Dual-Channel DDR3L @1600
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD 4400 Integrated; 2GB Dedicated NVIDIA GT 740M
    Hard Drives
    500GB Samsung 840 EVO Internal SSD ;
    2TB WD MyPassport Ultra EHDD ;
    1TB TOSHIBA HDD
    Cooling
    Deepcool X6
    Mouse
    Logitech B175 Wireless Mouse
    Internet Speed
    10 Mbps
    Browser
    Opera v25.0
    Antivirus
    KIS 2014
    Other Info
    Microsoft Wired Xbox 360 Controller

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8.1 64bit
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Toshiba
    CPU
    Intel i3, 2348
    Memory
    4GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD3000
I got rid of trend at work because it was horrible and expensive.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Self-Built in July 2009
    CPU
    Intel Q9550 2.83Ghz OC'd to 3.40Ghz
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R rev. 1.1, F12 BIOS
    Memory
    8GB G.Skill PI DDR2-800, 4-4-4-12 timings
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA 1280MB Nvidia GeForce GTX570
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC899A 8 channel onboard audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    23" Acer x233H
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Intel X25-M 80GB Gen 2 SSD
    Western Digital 1TB Caviar Black, 32MB cache. WD1001FALS
    PSU
    Corsair 620HX modular
    Case
    Antec P182
    Cooling
    stock
    Keyboard
    ABS M1 Mechanical
    Mouse
    Logitech G9 Laser Mouse
    Internet Speed
    15/2 cable modem
    Other Info
    Windows and Linux enthusiast. Logitech G35 Headset.
Here is the EICAR test page if anyone wants to try it---

Download ° EICAR - European Expert Group for IT-Security

I tried it ---

screenshot_175.jpg

& got this Avast notice----

screenshot_175.jpg

I have no viruses. :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1.1 Pro with Media Center
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Gateway
    CPU
    AMD K140 Cores 2 Threads 2 Name AMD K140 Package Socket FT1 BGA Technology 40nm
    Motherboard
    Manufacturer Gateway Model SX2110G (P0)
    Memory
    Type DDR3 Size 8192 MBytes DRAM Frequency 532.3 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI AMD Radeon HD 7310 Graphics
    Sound Card
    AMD High Definition Audio Device Realtek High Definition Audio USB Audio Device
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Name 1950W on AMD Radeon HD 7310 Graphics Current Resolution 1366x768 pixels Work Resolution 1366x76
    Screen Resolution
    Current Resolution 1366x768 pixels Work Resolution 1366x768 pixels
    Hard Drives
    AMD K140
    Cores 2
    Threads 2
    Name AMD K140
    Package Socket FT1 BGA
    Technology 40nm
    Specification AMD E1-1200 APU with Radeon HD Graphics
    Family F
    Extended Family 14
    Model 2
    Extended Model 2
    Stepping 0
    Revision ON-C0
    Instruction
    Browser
    Opera 24.0
    Antivirus
    Avast Internet Security
I got rid of trend at work because it was horrible and expensive.
I have only experience with free Trend Online scanner and that seems to be pretty good in catching the fish [emoji4]
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8.1 Update x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion 15
    CPU
    Haswell Core i5 4200U
    Memory
    8GB Dual-Channel DDR3L @1600
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD 4400 Integrated; 2GB Dedicated NVIDIA GT 740M
    Hard Drives
    500GB Samsung 840 EVO Internal SSD ;
    2TB WD MyPassport Ultra EHDD ;
    1TB TOSHIBA HDD
    Cooling
    Deepcool X6
    Mouse
    Logitech B175 Wireless Mouse
    Internet Speed
    10 Mbps
    Browser
    Opera v25.0
    Antivirus
    KIS 2014
    Other Info
    Microsoft Wired Xbox 360 Controller
Got this on downloading Eicar:

Screenshot (137).png
Screenshot (135).png

Screenshot (138).png
Screenshot (136).png
 
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My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8.1 Update x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion 15
    CPU
    Haswell Core i5 4200U
    Memory
    8GB Dual-Channel DDR3L @1600
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD 4400 Integrated; 2GB Dedicated NVIDIA GT 740M
    Hard Drives
    500GB Samsung 840 EVO Internal SSD ;
    2TB WD MyPassport Ultra EHDD ;
    1TB TOSHIBA HDD
    Cooling
    Deepcool X6
    Mouse
    Logitech B175 Wireless Mouse
    Internet Speed
    10 Mbps
    Browser
    Opera v25.0
    Antivirus
    KIS 2014
    Other Info
    Microsoft Wired Xbox 360 Controller
I use AVG Internet Security 2015 I never had any issues with AVG and was using F Secure (Charter Security Suite) but it turned out to be a resource hog so I went back to AVG and I also use Malwarebytes Premium. Like everyone said it also depends on what your surfing habit is.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Microsoft Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion DV6
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i5 CPU M 460 @ 2.53GHz
    Motherboard
    Hewlett-Packard 144C
    Memory
    6 GB soon to be 8 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel(R) HD Graphics (Core i5)
    Sound Card
    IDT High Definition Audio CODEC
    Screen Resolution
    1366 x 768 x 32 bits (4294967296 colors) @ 60 Hz
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Samsung HDD and Samsung 600 GB SSD
    Case
    HP metal case.
    Cooling
    Standard fan ( Does a good enough job)
    Keyboard
    HP backlit keyboard.
    Mouse
    Standard USB Mouse
    Internet Speed
    60 Mbps Download and 10 Mbps Upload thru Charter High Speed Internet
    Browser
    Firefox and Internet Explorer
    Antivirus
    Norton Internet Security
    Other Info
    Custom Built Windows Server 2008 R2 used for storage server, DHCP server, Primary DNS server. Novell Suse Server running 2 custom built desktop that have Novell Netware installed. Samsung Note 3 (Primary Phone) and Samsung S4 (Back up phone).
McAfee & Malwarebytes

I have McAfee,Malwarebytes P. & Hitman Pro:)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 8.1
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    acer apire v5 E5-521-46P1
    Memory
    6 gb ram
    Sound Card
    Bongiovi DPS FULL
    Screen Resolution
    hd
    Hard Drives
    500 gb internal +500+1000gb External
    Internet Speed
    300/50mb
    Browser
    pale moon and google chrome
    Antivirus
    Bitdefender 2018
    Other Info
    Security:Malwarebytes 3.1.2+Zemana Premium+Hitman Pro+Superantisyware Professional+Lastpass
    VPN:SurfEasy Ultra VPN+EkspressVPN+Private Internet Access
Recommendations:

Windows Defender (aka Microsoft Security Essentials)

Malwarebytes

CCleaner

If you need more then these 3 then I am guessing you are in on sites or downloading alot of stuff that contains viruses, trojans or worse.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Self made!
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-4790 (8 core, 3,6 GHz)
    Motherboard
    Z97 Gaming 5 (MS-7917)
    Memory
    Kingston DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    R9 280X DirectCU II TOP
    Sound Card
    MB: HD-Sound Realtek ALC1150. GC: HDMI to HT-R390
    Monitor(s) Displays
    3x Acer AL2223W
    Screen Resolution
    4x 1680 x 1050 or 5040 x 1050 plus 1680 x 1050 on top
    Hard Drives
    Hitachi HDS5C3020ALA632, ST31000524AS and a WDC WD2500KS-00MJ0
    Case
    CM Force 500
    Cooling
    Cooler Master ELite 120
    Keyboard
    Logitech G110
    Mouse
    Logitech MX518
    Internet Speed
    50/50 Fiber
    Browser
    Chrome!
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Security Essentials, aka Windows Defender :D
    Other Info
    Even Though You Fall, That Flesh Shall Be Made A New!
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