I like to have an antivirus on my system, it helps me maintain piece of mind. Some people may say they don't need one but there is some pretty nifty, nasty stuff out there. Thus I don't mind paying for software if it means my PC will be safer.
For a long time I have used Norton antivirus but when I noticed my subscription has only 7 days left and went to renew it, I couldn't help but notice that over the years, Norton was offering less in the way of virus protection and more about online identity protection (If you need identity protection you need a brain, not software).
So I am asking you lot what you all use and what you feel would be best for me to get as someone who wants my PC to be protected from the nasty executables out there. I have a feeling that Kaspersky would be a good choice having looked through some of their very indepth virus reports as they seem to be focused on actual "antivirus software" rather than "idiot protection"
From experience as a technician in a small computer repair company, I have seen my fair share of ups and downs for just about any kind of AV software out there.
What I would recommend out of all of them is Bitdefender, Kaspersky, or ESET. Now, with that said, it should come as no surprise that the best one out of those 3, Kaspersky, will most likely make your computer crawl by current standards. Bitdefender seems to have a great balance between high detection rates and computer performance/usability, although it's setup can be a bit daunting as you not only have to enter in the key code from the packaging, but you then have to register and setup an account with them or you will only get 30 days of protection before it basically calls it quits an deactivates the key (even the free version requires for you to create an account with them or you will only get 30 days of protection). ESET, I have only referenced due largely to many recommendations from friends and colleagues.
The chart in the link is from a reputable, independant company that puts AV Software through a multitude of tests to bring you an up-to-date and nearly 100% accurate depiction of which AV Software is the best. On the graph, Green represents detection rate (in percentage), Yellow represents User interaction required, and Red represents malware that was missed by the software. The plot line represents the number of false positives detected by each software.
Above all, I highly recommend using "Common Sense" as mention by others before me. NO AV SOFTWARE IS 100% CAPABLE OF STOPPING ALL VIRUSES. You end up as being your best line of defense against infection.
Your best bet is to use the A/V software along with the "common sense" that others have already mentioned. I've dealt with pretty much all of the most popular A/V programs at one point or another, whether on my personal PC or one that I was repairing. My favorite is Avast. It's one of the best out there in terms of detection, and it has a nice interface as well. I always use the free version, you don't need to get the paid security suite.
I haven't had a virus on my PC in ages, mostly because I'm careful. I know I could get away without using an A/V program, but it gives me peace of mind. Malware/spyware is something that you will inevitably get on your machine, and I would almost say it's just as important, if not more important, to have Malwarebytes installed on your PC. It blocks a TON of crap from getting on your computer.
microsoft security essentials with malwarebytes anti-malware and adcleaner is bulletproof and 24 bucks for malware and the rest are free ive used this setup on 50+ builds and only one has ever gotten anything because of lack of maintenance and pure stupidity.
I use Kaspersky, is not light, but since I have to deal with many PCs from clients that are half of the time infected, the small delay is something I am willing to accept in order to be protected.
I have provided support to several companies for years, and usually I would get call say once a month to each company because a user downloaded something that they shouldn't have downloaded and the PC was infected, but ever since I started recommending them to install Kaspersky I have had maybe 20 times less of requests to clean infections from these companies.
In retrospective it was bad for business, because it works so well... XD