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In order to more clearly understand the figures, here is an example with two individual scores: Every user quickly becomes
impatient, especially when copying files under Windows. In the test, the reference system without any protection requires just
over 141 seconds to copy the test set from AV-TEST containing 3.3 GB. A Windows system with an installed Kaspersky
security application examines the files and requires 165 seconds for copying. The application finishing last, Threat Track,
requires over 300 seconds on average for the same procedure.
The most conspicuous products in the endurance test are from Ahnlab, ESET, Norman, Quickheal and Threat Track. They
considerably slow down the copying procedure under routine conditions. This fact is also reflected in the overall findings.
Test Conguration
For the test, several PCs with absolute identical hardware were used in the laboratory: Intel Xeon X3360 @ 2.83GHz, 4 GB RAM
and a 500 GB hard drive. Because these computers might perform differently, however, they were selected from a pool of 60
test PCs. All the PCs were tested multiple times with unprotected windows XP, windows 7 and Windows 8.1 systems. The
computers of identical speed were then defined as test systems. Their speed ratings serve as a reference for the test. Before
and after each product test, it was evaluated whether all the computers still delivered the same reference ratings.
Each product goes through a cycle of all the tests multiple times. Afterwards, a status quo ante of the PC is re-established with
the help of a disk image, including the installed application. Then the test is performed again, the system is rebooted, and the
battery of tests to be conducted is repeated again. The PC is rebooted and tested several times, then the system is restored
with the help of the disk image, and the procedure starts all over again. At the end, there are a minimum of 20 and a maximum
of 40 individual scores for each individual small test step. For some 90 test steps per product, from 1,800 up to 3,600 individual
scores are recorded per product. In an endurance test lasting 7 test rounds, an actual 12,600 up to 25,200 scores are analyzed;
on average around 19,000 per product. In the test with 23 products, some 430,000 test scores were recorded.
Typical objections by critics against the way results were obtained are the
influences by the hardware used, by the software such as Windows or by
access to the Internet.
The point of criticism concerning hardware is rendered moot based on the abovedescribed procedure of the test PC selection under "Test Configuration". The
reference scores are re-validated after each test on each PC.
With respect to Windows, background tasks could influence system behavior.
That is why the testers deactivated all the tasks that can be shut down. In the
event that an outlier does occur in a test step, this is statistically balanced out
based on 20- to 40-fold repetition of the step.
The third point of criticism pertains to the Internet access in the test when visiting
websites. On the one hand, the speed may depend on the requested server and
the routing, and on the other, ad banners or images may modify the websites.
The test is completed with the help of a 500 megabit line, and it runs over several
days and at different times. This minimizes any possible negative effects. The
findings also demonstrate that the slowing-down effect caused by security
software does not occur sporadically, but is rather constant for all websites
tested.
Maik Morgenstern,
CTO AV-TEST GmbH
Performance endurance test: Some protection solutions cause quite a heavy burden on a Windows PC for everyday routines.
Category "Copying under Windows": While the Kaspersky product hardly slows down the system, Threat Track and Quick Heal are a different story entirely.
Performance endurance test: The products from Kaspersky, Bitdefender and Qihoo 360 cause the lowest load on a Windows PC.
5 categories in the performance test: Most of the products in the endurance test slow down the PC in the category of "copying data".