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Only A Little RAM? Use Avira.

I get this question almost daily -

“What Antivirus should I use if I only have 512 MB of RAM?”

Use Avira Anti-Vir.  It’s got one of the best detection rates out there and runs really well on older PC’s with RAM in the 512 – 1000 MB range.



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  • ryan

    Avira 10 i hope they get rid of nag screen i know there are so many easy ways to get rid of it but i wish they did. i am still sticking to MSE btw a new version of MSE is coming out very soon.

  • alv

    I would say Avast.

  • Dieselman

    Better advice Matt. Get more ram for cheap so you dont have to put up with the nag screen. Any pc with 512 ram is well over 5 years old. Add another 512 for less then $30 and your all set.

  • Dan

    @ryan

    An new release of MSE have been out for some time now..

    Microsoft Security Essentials 1.0.1959.0

  • malwarebuster

    @Dan

    I think he means Microsoft Security Essentials 2.0

  • http://www.myhelpfulnerd.com myHelpfulNerd

    The worst part about the nag screen is that it can look dangerously similar to the rouge anti-virus that I had usually just removed from the client’s computer. So it got confusing for them when I had to explain that “this popup, which changes all the time, is normal, but any other popups are dangerous”. Now I recommend Security Essentials even for my clients with less RAM–it’s light enough, has a higher detection rate, and won’t confuse them.

  • malwarebuster

    Well said myHelpfulNerd.

  • JimBob

    @Dieselman

    Unfortunately, I regularly run across many PCs out there cannot be upgraded past 512MB. Couple that with the fact that we are in a sagging economy and many folks have to live with their 512, and sometimes less, computer. Also, your statement about ‘any PC with 512 is well over 5 years old’ is definitely not the case. I clearly recall tons of Vista computers released 3 years ago that were shipped with 512.

    Personally, I agree with MyHelpfulNerd. MSE is very lightweight and works well on a low-end system.

  • Sheen

    AVIRA is good for 512MB RAM or less, actually I install it on all PC I’ve repair. MSE if the OS is legitimate ;-)

  • Dieselman

    If a pc cannot be upgrade past 512 then junk it. Heck you can buy a brand new pc at Walmart for $300. Thats with 2 gigs of ram and Win 7.

  • 927

    @myHelpfulNerd
    Either way, you close them

    My recommendations are still
    1 Avira
    2 Avast

  • JimBob

    Not everyone can afford to junk their computer, even if it it time. That’s the whole point of this post.

  • Dieselman

    $300 is pocket change when you consider that I have charged $250 for removing viruses from a pc. If a pc needs that much work its not worth it.

  • JimBob

    $250 for virus removal? Wow…what a ripoff!

  • http://www.sandboxie.com ssj100

    300 US dollars is a lot of money. Some people don’t even have enough money to pick up medications for 3 dollars. They come to the Emergency Department to get free medications instead (in my country, public hospitals are funded by the goverment).

  • PeterPan

    Sounds great. Avira is indeed good anti virus!

  • Victor Hugo

    AV-Comparatives did a performance test last December in order to determine what Antivirus software was the lighest of them.
    You can check the results here:

    http://www.av-comparatives.org/images/stories/test/performance/performance_dec09.pdf

    Sorry for the ones who consider Avast or even MSE the best ones in terms of use of system resources.

    AV-Comparatives considered Avira the lightest one.

    Matt is completely right!

  • Dieselman

    Not a rip off JimBob. Here in CT everyone charges $100/hr. There was over 7,426 infections that SAS found. Plus 500 that MBAM found.

  • Dieselman

    I spent the first hour just repairing the MBR since the pc wouldn’t even boot up.

  • Dieselman

    If your dumb enough to get infected then thats the price you pay.

  • Johan

    @Dieselman

    Well, you actually don’t need to be DUMB to get infected these days!

    It’s quite easy, and you if anyone should know that!

  • Dieselman

    Never been infected in well over 7 years now. Infections dont happen on there own 99% of the time. Most of the time its just click happy people.

  • ben

    @Dieselman

    If you think that only dumb, click happy people get infected, you are in the wrong business.

  • http://www.sandboxie.com ssj100

    That’s a bit harsh. Only dumb people get infected, and it feels like you’re implying they deserve to get infected.

    Enough said.

  • Dieselman

    Yes only dumb people get infected. Go into the business and you will see.

  • Dieselman

    I am too smart to ever get infected. Plus the way I have KIS set up anything unknown will never run.

  • JimBob

    LOL…what an ego. Wow!

  • Dieselman

    Yup…………And proud of it. Work in the field jb and you will see.

  • Nevi

    Dieselman…
    You have nothing to be proud of.I have tried to be in the forum “Remove Malware” where you are Mod,and there you act like a dictator to all the newbies(exactly the same attitude as here).They gotta learn it,thats true,but people dont need being ridiculed or have their post deleted by you all the time to learn.You use more time telling about how much you know,and how little everybody else know..
    That was the feed back from a former forum member.


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