Windows Defender can Significantly Impact Intel CPU Performance


Kevin Glynn, aka "Uncle Webb," our associate software author behind popular utilities such as ThrottleStop and RealTemp, developed a new utility named Counter Control, which lets you monitor and log the performance counters of Intel Core processors since 2008 (Core "Nehalem"). During development for ThrottleStop, Kevin discovered a fascinating bug with Windows Defender, the built-in security software of Windows, which causes significantly higher performance impact on the processor than it should normally have. Of course a security software is bound to have some (small) performance impact during real-time protection, but this is much bigger.



The first sign that something is happening is that HWiNFO will be reporting a reduced "Effective Clock" speed when the CPU is fully loaded. A much bigger problem is that when Defender is affected by the bug, performance of your machine will be significantly reduced. For example, a Core i9-10850K running at 5.00 GHz all-core loses 1000 Cinebench points (or 6%). Such a performance loss has been reported by owners of Intel Core 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th Gen, both desktop and mobile CPUs, on both Windows 10 and Windows 11. AMD processors are not affected.


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You *think* you don't have any performance loss because you don't know how your PC performs without Windows Defender or have never benchmarked it. If you have, then you must be really special that all the reports have confirmed this but in some mysterious way, your computer is so special that it doesn't suffer from this performance loss. :ROFLMAO:
I'm not sure how I should take this post. I did say noticeable performance hits and not, no performance hits. We don't do any photo or video editing on these devices and we're not gamers. Everything we do on our devices runs without any hiccups. Also, if the only way to see any performance loss is to run benchmark programs, then does it matter?
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Canary Channel
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    PowerSpec B746
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-10700K
    Motherboard
    ASRock Z490 Phantom Gaming 4/ax
    Memory
    16GB (8GB PC4-19200 DDR4 SDRAM x2)
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 TI
    Sound Card
    Realtek Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    #1. LG ULTRAWIDE 34" #2. AOC Q32G2WG3 32"
    Screen Resolution
    #1. 3440 X 1440 #2. 1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    NVMe WDC WDS100T2B0C-00PXH0 1TB
    Samsung SSD 860 EVO 1TB
    PSU
    750 Watts (62.5A)
    Case
    PowerSpec/Lian Li ATX 205
    Keyboard
    Logitech K270
    Mouse
    Logitech M185
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge and Firefox
    Antivirus
    ESET Internet Security
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Canary Channel
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    PowerSpec G156
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-8400 CPU @ 2.80GHz
    Motherboard
    AsusTeK Prime B360M-S
    Memory
    16 MB DDR 4-2666
    Monitor(s) Displays
    23" Speptre HDMI 75Hz
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 970 EVO 500GB NVMe
    Mouse
    Logitek M185
    Keyboard
    Logitek K270
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge and Edge Canary
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
but a laptop where the fan starts whirring faster and more noisily and the case getting much warmer than usual (not a modest amount but significantly noticeable)
I had that same problem with my laptop after it over heated when I left it in Modern Standby with the lid closed. It's an AMD CPU so not an Intel problem. After doing a few searches on my laptop model running hot, I found a Reg Hack that added a new option in the power setting. Temps are now back to normal.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Canary Channel
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    PowerSpec B746
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-10700K
    Motherboard
    ASRock Z490 Phantom Gaming 4/ax
    Memory
    16GB (8GB PC4-19200 DDR4 SDRAM x2)
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 TI
    Sound Card
    Realtek Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    #1. LG ULTRAWIDE 34" #2. AOC Q32G2WG3 32"
    Screen Resolution
    #1. 3440 X 1440 #2. 1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    NVMe WDC WDS100T2B0C-00PXH0 1TB
    Samsung SSD 860 EVO 1TB
    PSU
    750 Watts (62.5A)
    Case
    PowerSpec/Lian Li ATX 205
    Keyboard
    Logitech K270
    Mouse
    Logitech M185
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge and Firefox
    Antivirus
    ESET Internet Security
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Canary Channel
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    PowerSpec G156
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-8400 CPU @ 2.80GHz
    Motherboard
    AsusTeK Prime B360M-S
    Memory
    16 MB DDR 4-2666
    Monitor(s) Displays
    23" Speptre HDMI 75Hz
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 970 EVO 500GB NVMe
    Mouse
    Logitek M185
    Keyboard
    Logitek K270
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge and Edge Canary
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
You *think* you don't have any performance loss because you don't know how your PC performs without Windows Defender or have never benchmarked it. If you have, then you must be really special that all the reports have confirmed this but in some mysterious way, your computer is so special that it doesn't suffer from this performance loss. :ROFLMAO:
Hahaha i must be a super special boy too then cause i don't have the issue, Benched with and without defender running. Same result, Im literally using 3% of my cpu and i have a browser and a few game launchers open as well as some winrar and transfers going. Trust me i'd notice, I haven't AND i even seeked it out. Tada not there :)
I love that you consider us special though so thanks for that :D
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    10700k@5.2
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte Gaming X Z490
    Memory
    Viper Steelseries 32gb@ 3600mhz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Gigabyte 2070 Super 8GB, +200 core + 600 memory
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS 4k HDR, Two 1080p Benq and Samsung
    Screen Resolution
    3840x2160/2560x1440/1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Adata XPG SX8200 PRO 1tb
    Samsung EVO 870 500GB
    PSU
    Corsair RX 650
    Case
    NZXT h510
    Cooling
    CM HYPER 212 RGB
    Keyboard
    Razer Ornata Chroma
    Mouse
    Steelseries Rival 710
I simply dont have the issue
Most computers with Intel 10th Gen CPUs have this issue.

Did you try running Counter Control after you first booted up? What did it report? Did you try running Cinebench R23? What speed did you run it at and what was your score? Those tests can confirm if your computer has this issue.

Some computers have other programs running that can prevent Windows Defender from doing its thing.

For many users the performance loss is not big enough to be concerned about. Unless you do some testing, you cannot be sure if you have this issue or not. To test for this, I would boot up, run Counter Control immediately and then leave it running in the background. It will log any changes in the fixed function counters. Review the log in a few hours and see if there are any changes.

There are times on my computer when I start Windows and this part of the Windows Defender algorithm is not running at all. There are other times where it is running at boot up but stops after 5 minutes or so. Sometime later, it starts running quietly in the background again and this can go on indefinitely or for hours after that.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    10850K
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG STRIX Z490-E GAMING
    Memory
    G.Skill DDR4-4000 8GB x 2
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1200
Simply don't notice any issues on my Intel 10th Gen I7 10700 CPU, System uptime is 5 days since last reboot, and absolutely running all my gaming fine with Defender, and such, probably due for a reboot soon though, and maybe then will check it out further at that point.

Overall though system performance really solid still
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 26100.2314
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    PreBuilt
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7700X
    Motherboard
    MSI B650 VC WIfi
    Memory
    32GB DDR 5 RGB 5600Mhz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon 7800XT
    Sound Card
    Onboard Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Asus VG245H
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Kingston 1TB Boot NVMe
    Samsung 860 Evo 1TB-Game SSD


    External
    Western Digital Elements 500GB
    Western Digital My Passport 2TB Blue
    Western Digital My Passport 2TB Red
    Toshiba 2TB in External Enclosure
    Seagate 8TB in External Enclosure
    Seagate 1TB Portable USB 3 External Drive
    Western Digital My Book 8TB (Primary Backup drive)
    Western Digital Black 4TB In External Enclosure
    PSU
    750 Watt High Power
    Case
    Lian Li Lan Cool 216 ARGB Airflow
    Cooling
    2 160MM Front, 1 140MM Rear Exhaust
    Keyboard
    Logitech G513
    Mouse
    Logitech G502 X
    Internet Speed
    Gigabit 1000Mb/20 Upload
    Browser
    MS Edge Chromium
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, Malwarebytes Premium
    Other Info
    UEFI, Secure Boot, TPM 2.0, Acronis True Image 2025
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Omen 15_ce019dx
    CPU
    Intel I7 7700H
    Motherboard
    OEM HP Omen Laptop Motherboard
    Memory
    8GB DDR 4
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel HD 630 and Nvidia Geforce 1050TI
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6 Laptop Display
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    128GB NvMe Boot Drive
    1TB Hitachi Sata Hard drive
    PSU
    Laptop PSU
    Case
    Laptop Case
    Cooling
    OEM Cooling
    Mouse
    Logitech G502 Hero
    Keyboard
    OEM Laptop Keyboard
    Internet Speed
    Gigabit 1000 Download/20 Upload
    Browser
    MS Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender & Malwarebytes Premium
I'm not sure how I should take this post. I did say noticeable performance hits and not, no performance hits. We don't do any photo or video editing on these devices and we're not gamers. Everything we do on our devices runs without any hiccups. Also, if the only way to see any performance loss is to run benchmark programs, then does it matter?
Forget benchmarks, I have a folder on my D: partition called Software. That is where I place all the setup files of the programs I use. In that folder also, there are many sub-folders that contain portable apps (ie. Firefox portable). I have assigned a custom icon for every folder in there to make it easy to distinguish. When I am using Windows Defender, simply opening the Software folder results in the icons appearing one by one slowly despite me having a super fast laptop and SSD. This is because Windows Defender will keep on scanning every file/folder over and over again let alone the fact that it causes a bigger performance hit when it scans. Other Antivirus programs are either much lighter when scanning or better yet, like ESET NOD32 for example, it has a whitelist feature so any file that was previously scanned before wouldn't be scanned again unless the digital file hash has been changed. Windows defender is heavy and inefficient. Most people are fine with it though because as I mentioned, they don't know what their computer is capable of or how fast it would usually be without it.

With any other AV, this does not happen and all those folder icons appear instantly. (except Kaspersky, Kaspersky also causes those folder icons to load slowly just like Windows Defender).
 
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My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Education
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Alienware m16 R1
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX
    Motherboard
    Alienware
    Memory
    G.SKILL Ripjaws F5-5600S4040A32GX2-RS 5200 MHz DDR5 64GB RAM
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce RTX 4090 16 GB GDDR6
    Sound Card
    Realtek Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG32UCDM UHD 240hz Monitor
    Screen Resolution
    UHD (3840 x 2160)
    Hard Drives
    2x Samsung 990 PRO 4TB SSDs (RAID 0) + WD_BLACK SN770M 2TB SSD
    PSU
    330W AC Power Adapter
    Cooling
    Noctua NT-H2 + Fujipoly Extreme Thermal Pads + llano RGB Laptop Cooling Pad V12
    Keyboard
    Alienware CherryMX mechanical keyboard (Laptop) + SteelSeries Apex 7 TKL - Mechanical Gaming Keyboard (external)
    Mouse
    SteelSeries Rival 5
    Internet Speed
    1 GBPS Down / 330 MBPS Up
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    Avast Premium Security
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS 15 9500
    CPU
    Intel i7-10875H
    Memory
    Kingston FURY Impact 64 GB 3200 MHz DDR4 RAM
    Graphics card(s)
    nVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti Max-Q w/ 4 GB GDDR6
    Sound Card
    Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6 UHD+ Touch, InfinityEdge, 500-nits, Anti-Reflecitve
    Screen Resolution
    3840 x 2400
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 990 PRO 2TB + 4TB SSDs
    PSU
    Dell 130W Laptop Charger USB C Type C AC Adapter
    Cooling
    Noctua NT-H2 Thermal Paste on CPU + GPU
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Anywhere 3
    Internet Speed
    1 GBPS Down / 350 MBPS Up
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    Avast Free Antivirus
Forget benchmarks, I have a folder on my D: partition called Software. That is where I place all the setup files of the programs I use. In that folder also, there are many sub-folders that contain portable apps (ie. Firefox portable). I have assigned a custom icon for every folder in there to make it easy to distinguish. When I am using Windows Defender, simply opening the Software folder results in the icons appearing one by one slowly despite me having a super fast laptop and SSD. This is because Windows Defender will keep on scanning every file/folder over and over again let alone the fact that it causes a bigger performance hit when it scans. Other Antivirus programs are either much lighter when scanning or better yet, like ESET NOD32 for example, it has a whitelist feature so any file that was previously scanned before wouldn't be scanned again unless the digital file hash has been changed. Windows defender is heavy and inefficient. Most people are fine with it though because as I mentioned, they don't know what their computer is capable of or how fast it would usually be without it.

With any other AV, this does not happen and all those folder icons appear instantly. (except Kaspersky, Kaspersky also causes those folder icons to load slowly just like Windows Defender).
I have this problem, too (like you, I have many folders with custom icons which contain portable apps and data). I thought it was the new Windows 11 UI (Explorer) which causes lag when opening a folder. I had no problem with those folders and their custom icons on Windows 10 (with ESET Internet Security). After upgrading to Windows 11, I decided to use Windows native AV/Defender instead of a third-party AV. Since then, opening/browsing folders has been slow (on SSD).
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 11 Enterprise
    Computer type
    Laptop
    CPU
    i7
    Hard Drives
    SSD
Also, if the only way to see any performance loss is to run benchmark programs, then does it matter?
Without Defender, everything is instantaneous. With Defender, everything is sluggish, I can see icons in explorer loading one by one.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 5 8600G (07/24)
    Motherboard
    ASROCK B650M-HDV/M.2 3.18 (07/24)
    Memory
    2x32GB Kingston FURY DDR5 5600 MHz CL36 @4800 CL40 (07/24)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASROCK Radeon RX 6600 Challenger D 8G @60FPS (08/24)
    Sound Card
    Creative Sound BlasterX AE-5 Plus (05/24)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    24" Philips 24M1N3200ZS/00 (05/24)
    Screen Resolution
    1920×1080@165Hz via DP1.4
    Hard Drives
    Kingston KC3000 NVMe 2TB (05/24)
    ADATA XPG GAMMIX S11 Pro 512GB (07/19)
    PSU
    Seasonic Core GM 550 Gold (04/24)
    Case
    Fractal Design Define 7 Mini with 3x Noctua NF-P14s/12@555rpm (04/24)
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-U12S with Noctua NF-P12 (04/24)
    Keyboard
    HP Pavilion Wired Keyboard 300 (07/24) + Rabalux 76017 Parker (01/24)
    Mouse
    Logitech M330 Silent Plus (04/23)
    Internet Speed
    500/100 Mbps via RouterOS (05/21) & TCP Optimizer
    Browser
    Edge & Brave for YouTube & LibreWolf for FB
    Antivirus
    NextDNS
    Other Info
    Backup: Hasleo Backup Suite (PreOS)
    Headphones: Sennheiser RS170 (09/10)
    Phone: Samsung Galaxy Xcover 7 (02/24)
    Chair: Huzaro Force 4.4 Grey Mesh (05/24)
    Notifier: Xiaomi Mi Band 9 Milanese (10/24)
    2nd Monitor: AOC G2460VQ6 @75Hz (02/19)
Without Defender, everything is instantaneous. With Defender, everything is sluggish, I can see icons in explorer loading one by one.
We don't have any performance issues with Defender that causes our devices to show a noticeable impact. It must depend on what resources are running in the background.
Edit: I do believe that it is a problem. It's just not a problem that a lot of people will notice.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Canary Channel
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    PowerSpec B746
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-10700K
    Motherboard
    ASRock Z490 Phantom Gaming 4/ax
    Memory
    16GB (8GB PC4-19200 DDR4 SDRAM x2)
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 TI
    Sound Card
    Realtek Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    #1. LG ULTRAWIDE 34" #2. AOC Q32G2WG3 32"
    Screen Resolution
    #1. 3440 X 1440 #2. 1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    NVMe WDC WDS100T2B0C-00PXH0 1TB
    Samsung SSD 860 EVO 1TB
    PSU
    750 Watts (62.5A)
    Case
    PowerSpec/Lian Li ATX 205
    Keyboard
    Logitech K270
    Mouse
    Logitech M185
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge and Firefox
    Antivirus
    ESET Internet Security
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Canary Channel
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    PowerSpec G156
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-8400 CPU @ 2.80GHz
    Motherboard
    AsusTeK Prime B360M-S
    Memory
    16 MB DDR 4-2666
    Monitor(s) Displays
    23" Speptre HDMI 75Hz
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 970 EVO 500GB NVMe
    Mouse
    Logitek M185
    Keyboard
    Logitek K270
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge and Edge Canary
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
It must depend on what resources are running in the background.
Clean installed Windows every single time, 8/10/11. Laptop is completely unusable with Defender.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 5 8600G (07/24)
    Motherboard
    ASROCK B650M-HDV/M.2 3.18 (07/24)
    Memory
    2x32GB Kingston FURY DDR5 5600 MHz CL36 @4800 CL40 (07/24)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASROCK Radeon RX 6600 Challenger D 8G @60FPS (08/24)
    Sound Card
    Creative Sound BlasterX AE-5 Plus (05/24)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    24" Philips 24M1N3200ZS/00 (05/24)
    Screen Resolution
    1920×1080@165Hz via DP1.4
    Hard Drives
    Kingston KC3000 NVMe 2TB (05/24)
    ADATA XPG GAMMIX S11 Pro 512GB (07/19)
    PSU
    Seasonic Core GM 550 Gold (04/24)
    Case
    Fractal Design Define 7 Mini with 3x Noctua NF-P14s/12@555rpm (04/24)
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-U12S with Noctua NF-P12 (04/24)
    Keyboard
    HP Pavilion Wired Keyboard 300 (07/24) + Rabalux 76017 Parker (01/24)
    Mouse
    Logitech M330 Silent Plus (04/23)
    Internet Speed
    500/100 Mbps via RouterOS (05/21) & TCP Optimizer
    Browser
    Edge & Brave for YouTube & LibreWolf for FB
    Antivirus
    NextDNS
    Other Info
    Backup: Hasleo Backup Suite (PreOS)
    Headphones: Sennheiser RS170 (09/10)
    Phone: Samsung Galaxy Xcover 7 (02/24)
    Chair: Huzaro Force 4.4 Grey Mesh (05/24)
    Notifier: Xiaomi Mi Band 9 Milanese (10/24)
    2nd Monitor: AOC G2460VQ6 @75Hz (02/19)
You *think* you don't have any performance loss because you don't know how your PC performs without Windows Defender or have never benchmarked it. If you have, then you must be really special that all the reports have confirmed this but in some mysterious way, your computer is so special that it doesn't suffer from this performance loss. :ROFLMAO:
sry i had win 11 version where i completely uninstalled defender and literally deleted files and services and now with defender it works pretty much the same
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    -
    CPU
    4770k
    Motherboard
    Asus Maximus Formula VI
    Memory
    16 gb Kingston
    Graphics Card(s)
    2070 super
sry i had win 11 version where i completely uninstalled defender and literally deleted files and services and now with defender it works pretty much the same
no need to apologize. Use what seems best to *you*.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Education
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Alienware m16 R1
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX
    Motherboard
    Alienware
    Memory
    G.SKILL Ripjaws F5-5600S4040A32GX2-RS 5200 MHz DDR5 64GB RAM
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce RTX 4090 16 GB GDDR6
    Sound Card
    Realtek Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG32UCDM UHD 240hz Monitor
    Screen Resolution
    UHD (3840 x 2160)
    Hard Drives
    2x Samsung 990 PRO 4TB SSDs (RAID 0) + WD_BLACK SN770M 2TB SSD
    PSU
    330W AC Power Adapter
    Cooling
    Noctua NT-H2 + Fujipoly Extreme Thermal Pads + llano RGB Laptop Cooling Pad V12
    Keyboard
    Alienware CherryMX mechanical keyboard (Laptop) + SteelSeries Apex 7 TKL - Mechanical Gaming Keyboard (external)
    Mouse
    SteelSeries Rival 5
    Internet Speed
    1 GBPS Down / 330 MBPS Up
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    Avast Premium Security
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS 15 9500
    CPU
    Intel i7-10875H
    Memory
    Kingston FURY Impact 64 GB 3200 MHz DDR4 RAM
    Graphics card(s)
    nVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti Max-Q w/ 4 GB GDDR6
    Sound Card
    Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6 UHD+ Touch, InfinityEdge, 500-nits, Anti-Reflecitve
    Screen Resolution
    3840 x 2400
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 990 PRO 2TB + 4TB SSDs
    PSU
    Dell 130W Laptop Charger USB C Type C AC Adapter
    Cooling
    Noctua NT-H2 Thermal Paste on CPU + GPU
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Anywhere 3
    Internet Speed
    1 GBPS Down / 350 MBPS Up
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    Avast Free Antivirus
We don't have any performance issues with Defender that causes our devices to show a noticeable impact. It must depend on what resources are running in the background.
Edit: I do believe that it is a problem. It's just not a problem that a lot of people will notice.
this problem has nothing to do with resources. It happens right from when I format a machine until loading all drivers/software. The moment you disable Windows Defender. The machine comes to life and everything is snappy.

PS: Look at my signature, I am talking about high end laptops, which is all what I've used before.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Education
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Alienware m16 R1
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX
    Motherboard
    Alienware
    Memory
    G.SKILL Ripjaws F5-5600S4040A32GX2-RS 5200 MHz DDR5 64GB RAM
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce RTX 4090 16 GB GDDR6
    Sound Card
    Realtek Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG32UCDM UHD 240hz Monitor
    Screen Resolution
    UHD (3840 x 2160)
    Hard Drives
    2x Samsung 990 PRO 4TB SSDs (RAID 0) + WD_BLACK SN770M 2TB SSD
    PSU
    330W AC Power Adapter
    Cooling
    Noctua NT-H2 + Fujipoly Extreme Thermal Pads + llano RGB Laptop Cooling Pad V12
    Keyboard
    Alienware CherryMX mechanical keyboard (Laptop) + SteelSeries Apex 7 TKL - Mechanical Gaming Keyboard (external)
    Mouse
    SteelSeries Rival 5
    Internet Speed
    1 GBPS Down / 330 MBPS Up
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    Avast Premium Security
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS 15 9500
    CPU
    Intel i7-10875H
    Memory
    Kingston FURY Impact 64 GB 3200 MHz DDR4 RAM
    Graphics card(s)
    nVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti Max-Q w/ 4 GB GDDR6
    Sound Card
    Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6 UHD+ Touch, InfinityEdge, 500-nits, Anti-Reflecitve
    Screen Resolution
    3840 x 2400
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 990 PRO 2TB + 4TB SSDs
    PSU
    Dell 130W Laptop Charger USB C Type C AC Adapter
    Cooling
    Noctua NT-H2 Thermal Paste on CPU + GPU
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Anywhere 3
    Internet Speed
    1 GBPS Down / 350 MBPS Up
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    Avast Free Antivirus
this problem has nothing to do with resources. It happens right from when I format a machine until loading all drivers/software. The moment you disable Windows Defender. The machine comes to life and everything is snappy.

PS: Look at my signature, I am talking about high end laptops, which is all what I've used before.
reason I did it was similar xp before and I concluded it was bc in-place upgrade and not a clean install cause after a clean install it disappeared
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    -
    CPU
    4770k
    Motherboard
    Asus Maximus Formula VI
    Memory
    16 gb Kingston
    Graphics Card(s)
    2070 super
this problem has nothing to do with resources. It happens right from when I format a machine until loading all drivers/software. The moment you disable Windows Defender. The machine comes to life and everything is snappy.

PS: Look at my signature, I am talking about high end laptops, which is all what I've used before.
If you look at "My Computer", I too have a high-end laptop. My laptop is very snappy and I see no difference with and without Windows Security (Defender). I'm using Windows 11 Pro 22000.778. What is it that causes this problem for some people?
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS 16 9640
    CPU
    Intel Core Ultra 9 185H
    Memory
    32GB LPDDR5x 7467 MT/s
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 8GB GDDR6
    Monitor(s) Displays
    16.3 inch 4K+ OLED Infinity Edge Touch
    Screen Resolution
    3840 x 2400
    Hard Drives
    1 Terabyte M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD
    Cooling
    Vapor Chamber Cooling
    Mouse
    None
    Internet Speed
    960 Mbps Netgear Mesh + 2 Satellites
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge (Chromium) + Bing
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Windows Security (Defender)
    Other Info
    Microsoft 365 subscription
    Microsoft OneDrive 1TB Cloud
    Microsoft Visual Studio
    Microsoft Visual Studio Code
    Microsoft PowerToys
    Macrium Reflect X subscription
    Dell Support Assist
    Dell Command | Update
    1Password Password Manager
    Amazon Kindle for PC
    Interactive Brokers Trader Workstation
    Lightroom/Photoshop subscription
    BitLocker
    CoPilot
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Microsoft Surface Pro 7
    CPU
    i5 1035G4
    Memory
    8 GB
    Hard Drives
    256GB SSD
    Internet Speed
    960 Mbps Netgear Mesh + 2 Satellites
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge (Chromium) + Bing
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Windows Security (Defender)
    Other Info
    Microsoft 365 subscription (Office)
    Microsoft OneDrive 1TB Cloud
    Amazon Kindle for PC
    Interactive Brokers Trader Workstation
    Lightroom/Photoshop subscription
    BitLocker
    CoPilot
this problem has nothing to do with resources. It happens right from when I format a machine until loading all drivers/software. The moment you disable Windows Defender. The machine comes to life and everything is snappy.

PS: Look at my signature, I am talking about high end laptops, which is all what I've used before.
I'm sorry, but you have another reason why you are getting such a performance hit. All of the Intel devices that I have that are using Defender are not seeing the problem you and others are having.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Canary Channel
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    PowerSpec B746
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-10700K
    Motherboard
    ASRock Z490 Phantom Gaming 4/ax
    Memory
    16GB (8GB PC4-19200 DDR4 SDRAM x2)
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 TI
    Sound Card
    Realtek Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    #1. LG ULTRAWIDE 34" #2. AOC Q32G2WG3 32"
    Screen Resolution
    #1. 3440 X 1440 #2. 1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    NVMe WDC WDS100T2B0C-00PXH0 1TB
    Samsung SSD 860 EVO 1TB
    PSU
    750 Watts (62.5A)
    Case
    PowerSpec/Lian Li ATX 205
    Keyboard
    Logitech K270
    Mouse
    Logitech M185
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge and Firefox
    Antivirus
    ESET Internet Security
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Canary Channel
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    PowerSpec G156
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-8400 CPU @ 2.80GHz
    Motherboard
    AsusTeK Prime B360M-S
    Memory
    16 MB DDR 4-2666
    Monitor(s) Displays
    23" Speptre HDMI 75Hz
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 970 EVO 500GB NVMe
    Mouse
    Logitek M185
    Keyboard
    Logitek K270
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge and Edge Canary
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
No Noticeable slowdown even on my Quad Core Intel I7 7700HQ Laptop, even checked external drive with alot of executables from my recent Windows 11 clean install, and all the icons loaded quickly,

Games load quick on both systems, System performance is excellent on both Windows 10 Home Gaming Laptop and Windows 11 Pro running Defender

Overall very happy with How Defender performs, Nice and Silent and seems to do its job as whenever i scan the systems with Eset Online Scan or Malwarebytes Free nothing is ever found
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 26100.2314
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    PreBuilt
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7700X
    Motherboard
    MSI B650 VC WIfi
    Memory
    32GB DDR 5 RGB 5600Mhz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon 7800XT
    Sound Card
    Onboard Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Asus VG245H
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Kingston 1TB Boot NVMe
    Samsung 860 Evo 1TB-Game SSD


    External
    Western Digital Elements 500GB
    Western Digital My Passport 2TB Blue
    Western Digital My Passport 2TB Red
    Toshiba 2TB in External Enclosure
    Seagate 8TB in External Enclosure
    Seagate 1TB Portable USB 3 External Drive
    Western Digital My Book 8TB (Primary Backup drive)
    Western Digital Black 4TB In External Enclosure
    PSU
    750 Watt High Power
    Case
    Lian Li Lan Cool 216 ARGB Airflow
    Cooling
    2 160MM Front, 1 140MM Rear Exhaust
    Keyboard
    Logitech G513
    Mouse
    Logitech G502 X
    Internet Speed
    Gigabit 1000Mb/20 Upload
    Browser
    MS Edge Chromium
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, Malwarebytes Premium
    Other Info
    UEFI, Secure Boot, TPM 2.0, Acronis True Image 2025
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Omen 15_ce019dx
    CPU
    Intel I7 7700H
    Motherboard
    OEM HP Omen Laptop Motherboard
    Memory
    8GB DDR 4
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel HD 630 and Nvidia Geforce 1050TI
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6 Laptop Display
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    128GB NvMe Boot Drive
    1TB Hitachi Sata Hard drive
    PSU
    Laptop PSU
    Case
    Laptop Case
    Cooling
    OEM Cooling
    Mouse
    Logitech G502 Hero
    Keyboard
    OEM Laptop Keyboard
    Internet Speed
    Gigabit 1000 Download/20 Upload
    Browser
    MS Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender & Malwarebytes Premium
Device name DESKTOP-JR9S079
Processor 11th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-1165G7 @ 2.80GHz 2.80 GHz
Installed RAM 8.00 GB (7.64 GB usable)
Device ID ECE3C0BA-74CB-49B3-80C9-3DCC459A18C6
Product ID 00330-80000-00000-AA963
System type 64-bit operating system, x64-based processor
Pen and touch No pen or touch input is available for this display

Edition Windows 11 Pro
Version 21H2
Installed on ‎27/‎06/‎2022
OS build 22000.778
Experience Windows Feature Experience Pack 1000.22000.778.0

Since I bought this AIO Dell PC early this year I have never had anything but rocket like performance and boot up times of less than 10 seconds from "cold"
And yes always Windows defender with all options on and untouched and occasional weekly scans with Simply Trojan remover.
And I do not spend my time entirely on "virtuous "websites either.
Never a mess up.
Paul
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11

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