PassMark Software reveals best-performing 2014 security software

Photo Credit: Oxlock/Shutterstock
 

PassMark Software has released its 2014 Consumer Security Products Performance Benchmarks report, the results of in-depth testing on the speed and impact on your system of 16 leading security packages.
 
First place in the security suite test went to Norton Internet Security 2014 for its excellent scan times, fast launch, and minimal effect on other applications and PC tasks. Kaspersky and Bitdefender Internet Security 2014 were second and third, while products from Avast, G Data, McAfee, Panda and Trend Micro trailed behind.
 
Norton topped the antivirus test, too, although its minimal scan times helped push AVG AntiVirus into second place. Avast scored well in third, while G Data, Panda, Kaspersky, McAfee and Trend Micro weren’t so impressive.
 
The rankings need to be evaluated with some care, because although they’re based on the scores of 19 tests, these aren’t all of equal value. PassMark measures the installation time and size, for example, as well as the product’s memory use; these can be interesting figures, but as long as you’ve reasonably powerful hardware, they’re unlikely to make any noticeable difference.
 
Forget about these less crucial assessments, concentrate on others, and some very different results can emerge. If you look only at the two scan time tests, say, G Data AntiVirus 2014 comes out on top, completing one benchmark in half the time of Norton Antivirus.
 
It’s also worth noting that the test was run on Windows 7, and other versions of Windows may deliver significantly different results. AV-Test.org’s latest benchmarks also score Norton Internet Security 2014 high for Windows 7 performance, but rank it much lower on Windows 8.
 
Despite these issues, PassMark’s report is a useful document, which provides a great deal of useful performance information on this year’s top security products. Just be sure to browse the individual benchmark results, as well as the overall rankings.
 
It’s worth adding that the top performers within the report, namely Norton Internet Security 2014, Kaspersky Internet Security 2014 and Bitdefender Internet Security 2014, are all available, deeply discounted, from the Downloadcrew Software Store.
 
~ Mike Williams

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Bitdefender tops AV-TEST, Microsoft Security Essentials bottom feeds

Who offers the best antivirus protection? It’s not an easy question to answer, but independent testing labs AV-TEST and AV-Comparatives have just released their latest results and reports, and they make very interesting reading.

AV-TEST places Bitdefender Internet Security 2013 in first place, for instance, with 5/6 for usability,
5.5/6 for repair and an excellent 6/6 for protection. But F-Secure Internet Security 2013 and Trend Micro Titanium Maximum Security 2013 also rate 6/6 for protection, while Kaspersky Internet Security 2013 and Norton Internet Security 2013 rating well all round.

And while half a point here and there doesn’t mean much, the fact that Microsoft Security Essentials 4.1 rates a 1.5 for protection, when just about every other package scored 4/6 or higher, probably tells you that there really is a very major difference in quality.

One lab’s results don’t necessarily mean a great deal, of course. But AV-Comparatives has just released its own December report that looks quite similar: Bitdefender takes their “Product of the Year” award by a very narrow margin over Kaspersky, and F-Secure scoring well on proactive (heuristic/ behavioral) detection.

And while Microsoft did receive one award here for low positive detections (none whatsoever), the package otherwise scored poorly in regular detection tests. Let’s hope things pick up in 2013.

If you do want to switch -- right now -- to a higher-rated security package, though, keep in mind that we have some excellent deals on the Downloadcrew Store at the moment. Bitdefender Total Security 2013 is available for $29.95, for instance, a 63-percent discount; Kaspersky Internet Security 2013 can be yours for $24.95, 69 percent off the regular price; or, if you’re on a budget, Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2013 is available for a mere $5.95, 85 percent off list.

~ Mike Williams

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