Antivirus: yay or nay?

[Xiahou]

I'm a long-time A/V user, in the last few years using Microsoft Security Essentials specifically. Lately, I've noticed that MSE has been bogging down my PC post-login. Eventually, the problem goes away but my PC is very sluggish until MSE is done with it's gyrations.

To the point, rather than trying to make MSE behave, I'm thinking of dumping antivirus altogether. Does anyone else run without A/V programs? I can't remember the last time MSE actually hit on anything. My pfsense firewall performs some IPS functions that would block/alert on malware. I use NoScript & Ublock Origin on Firefox. It seems like I'm pretty well covered even without antivirus.

Someone tell me why antivirus is anything other than a waste of computing resources at this point?

[Crandar]

I was recommended to use Malwarebytes and I have no complaints yet.

[Xiahou]

I was recommended to use Malwarebytes and I have no complaints yet.

I had always heard good things about Malwarebytes (and SuperAntiSpyware), and have recommended it to people myself. However it's not what you'd traditionally call anti-virus.

Here's is Malwarebytes explanation of the difference between the two, but personally I always thought of antivirus of something that is always running and watching (or attempting to watch) for infected files. Malware, otoh, is something that scans memory or running processes for malicious code and it's usually run on demand.

I think the line is getting more and more blurred- but I see no issue with an on-demand scanner. I am getting sour on always-on anti-virus that's dragging down my PC.

[wooly_mammoth]

Being at least half-decent in the way I use my Windows computers + AVG free edition -> one reportedly infected file in the past decade+
I can't remember what MSE does, I may have some of that opened up as well (windows firewall and a couple other things).

Then again, I pretty much use Windows these days only for videogames. I've transitioned to linux for all the other computational problems of my life, and with that the virus/malware problem has vanished.

[Veho Nex]

Been running Eset NOD32 for years and ive only had 1 security issue and that was from my own stupidity. Literally ignored and canceled all the warnings that popped up.

[Csargo]

I generally will just run sporadic scans every so often with programs like MB, MSE, etc. Never have any AV constantly protecting/running on my PC and I don't have any problems at all.

That being said I rarely venture to unfamiliar websites and things like that.

[Gregoshi]

I generally will just run sporadic scans every so often with programs like MB, MSE, etc. Never have any AV constantly protecting/running on my PC and I don't have any problems at all.

Click here for your FREE PC check!

That being said I rarely venture to unfamiliar websites and things like that.

Um, sure, whatever you say.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Sorry Csargo, couldn't resist.

[Xiahou]

So I uninstalled it. It improved the post-login somewhat, not night and day though. Meh.

I still feel somewhat "naked" without antivirus- but I just have to remind myself that I can't remember the last time MSE actually detected anything, if ever in the years that I've used it.