I am thinking of reviewing my firewall and antivirus (AV) protection on my desktop PC. I would like to find a solution that keeps up with the ever-changing world of malware and one which is not too demanding on CPU resources (as the current demand on resources is distorting my audio output.)
Currently, I am running Zone Alarm (ZA) Extreme Security Antivirus and I have Windows Defender turned off. Generally, but not exclusively, I have found that reviews of Windows Defender say that it's better to have it than no firewall/AV at all, which is not the best of endorsements. One of the criticisms is that Microsoft does not update it sufficiently frequently so some malware can sneak past, whilst waiting for an update.
My current setup with ZA seems to be more resource-heavy than I can afford with my aging machine. I will have to decide on whether to renew its license soon.
Some reviews say the only really safe ground is that provided by the big guys such as Norton and McAfee and they certainly get good write-ups. But I guess you can't have your cake and eat it. They are going to be quite resource-demanding.
I have worked on the principle that it is not a good idea to have more than one firewall/AV system running.
So what I would appreciate some views on, please is:
- Is it safe to just rely on Windows Defender?
Can I use settings in the tried and trusted software to get a "light" yet safe version?
What have people used and with what success or failure?
Have others had issues with audio distortion linked to resource availability?
I'm running Windows 10 Home 64bit, version 21H1 (OS Build 19043.1586.)
Other info:
NVIDIA GForce GT520 graphics card;
NVIDIA high definition audio;
16 Gb RAM;
2.9 GHz internal core i5-2310;
Foxcomm H61MXv/-LE/H67MXV board
1Tb SSD with 715 Gb free;
1Tb HDD with 445 Gb free.
