Security Suite Showdown: The Best Anti-Virus Software for You

Why cobble together several pieces of software when you can own one program that does it all? Security suites don’t just protect your computer, but provide parental controls, identity theft protection, online backup, and, often, tools to make your computer run more efficiently.

We tested five new security products to find out which one offers the best mix of security, ease of use, and convenience. We base our ease-of-use evaluations on the difficulty of the installation process, parental controls, and tweekable settings. The convenience is measured by how much a suite slows down our HP G62t, and whether it offers special features such as online storage and putting off scans while unplugged. A security program’s ability to protect was assessed by a combination of factors and third-party test results from Anti-Virus Comparative, Dennis Publishing, and AV-Test.org.

So which one can offer you the best protection? Read on to find out.

• BitDefender Total Security 2011
• Kaspersky Internet Security 2011
• McAfee Total Protection 2010
• Norton 360 4.0
• Webroot Internet Security Complete 2011