McAfee v. Symantec

[CeleronXT]

I've been using Norton's Antivirus for years and for the most part I haven't had any problems, but I've been reading that it's a resource hog and slows down Windows considerably. I've never noticed this myself, but that may be due to the fact that I always install it immediately after Windows, and so I wouldn't ever really experience the fast operations long enough to notice a difference.

So, which brand of antivirus software is better? Is McAfee an equal resource hog? (Oh, and is NOD32 any good?)

[harmor]

Get AVG, it's just as good and it's free.

[Vile]

NOD32 is great, and uses very little memory compared to others.

McAfee is horrible..I used it in the past, and will never use it again.

Currently I use Symantec Antivirus (Corporate version of Norton) and it's another one that works great IMO.

The applications I absolutely hate by Symantec & McAfee are the all-in-one solutions, such as Norton Internet Security, Norton System Works, and so on. These programs are memory hogs and don't work nearly as well as standalone solutions. (i.e. 1 antivirus program only, 1 firewall, instead of all-in-one)

Other decent AV programs that don't use too much memory are Avast and Antivir

I've tried AVG on my system, and used when it was installed on a clients machine, and it didn't really do it for me...Not a big fan of AVG. The detection rate didn't seem that great to me.

As long as you are not set on getting freeware, and don't mind paying, you should go with NOD32 IMO.

[harmor]

NOD32 is great, and uses very little memory compared to others.

McAfee is horrible..I used it in the past, and will never use it again.

Currently I use Symantec Antivirus (Corporate version of Norton) and it's another one that works great IMO.

Other decent AV programs that don't use too much memory are Avast and Antivir

I've tried AVG on my system, and used when it was installed on a clients machine, and it didn't really do it for me...Not a big fan of AVG.

That's right, my mom uninstalled AVG for Avast.

Try Avast.

[DirectPixel]

I've been using Norton's Antivirus for years and for the most part I haven't had any problems, but I've been reading that it's a resource hog and slows down Windows considerably. I've never noticed this myself, but that may be due to the fact that I always install it immediately after Windows, and so I wouldn't ever really experience the fast operations long enough to notice a difference.

So, which brand of antivirus software is better? Is McAfee an equal resource hog? (Oh, and is NOD32 any good?)

If you have NOD32, use it. It is simply one of the best out there. It's effective, very up-to-date, scalable, easy to manage, easy to use, and not very resource-intensive at all.

It seriously blows away anything Norton of McAfee have to offer. AVG is alright, but if you've already got NOD32, then why bother with AVG? If you don't already have NOD32, AVG Free is a great program.

[Jose Amaral Rego]

I have this free with my internet subscription and never had any bugs get pass it.

http://www.freedom.net/viruscenter/onlineviruscheck.html

[eXaulz]

Symantec dby far. I love it, catches viruses, trojan horses, some ad/spyware, bad javascript files, it's great.
McAfee is.... eh. I've never really like dit.
NOD32 - Great antivirus, hard-to-understand interface.
AVG - Great for a free AntiVirus.
AntiVir - (free-av.com) Best free antivirus out there. Some people say it's the best.

I personally use Windows OneCare -- anitivrus, firewall, soon-to-come antispyware. It's a great antivirus. Sadly, it's still in Beta and you have to be.. hmm... 'accepted' to be one.

[Radon3k]

I've never used this myself but I've heard good things about PC-Cillin. I currently use Norton but I may give either NOD 32 or PC-Cillin a try.

[Jose Amaral Rego]

PC-Cillin is U.K. base, or I could be wrong?

[Vile]

I've never used this myself but I've heard good things about PC-Cillin. I currently use Norton but I may give either NOD 32 or PC-Cillin a try.

I tried the latest version at work a few months back, and I found this to be too resource intensive.
The UI is also a bit outdated

[Radon3k]

I tried the latest version at work a few months back, and I found this to be too resource intensive.
The UI is also a bit outdated

Thanks for the information. I may go ahead and give NOD 32 a try then in a few weeks and see how I like it.

[Quillz]

I've been using McAfee VirusScan for years, and it works fine for me. It also auto-updates itself, which I find very useful.

[AWS]

I used Norton and it was a resource hog.
McAfee was even worse. 100% cpu usage. Search Google for McAfee 100% cpu usage and you'll see it is a major problem.
Used AVG. Virus signatures never were released in a timely fashion.
I use Bitdefender free edition on my Vista installs and Nod32 on my XP and 2003 Server installs.
Both are top notch and I don't even know they are running.
Nod32 takes a bit of getting used to. Once you have it configured the way you want you'll never have to worry about it.

[MGM]

Currently using AntiVir from free-av.com .... Never heard of Nod32 or Bitdefender... might give them a try sometime.

MGM out

[Creepshow]

McAfee vs. Symantec?
Easy.

Symantec.