Internet Security Suites

When it comes to keeping your PC free of nasties, at the very least you'll need an anti-virus tool (several of which can be downloaded for free), but for full coverage, you'll want protection from phishers, scammers, hackers, identity thieves, naughty websites, system failures and more. You can, of course, get individual products that deal with each of these threats. But for cost effectiveness and simplicity, you can't beat a suite. You just have to choose which one.

AVG Internet Security 8.0

Pros: Fast; easy to use
Cons: Weak anti-spyware; web protection and anti-phishing only rudimentary.
Probably best known for its free anti-virus and anti-spyware tools, AVG also produces a suite that combines those with a firewall, anti-spam and some basic web defences. It's fast, light and easy to use. That said, you can download AVG Antivirus Free Edition from free.avg.com, and it provides nearly the same virus protection as the suite, while firewall, anti-spam and web protection are already built into Windows anyway.
In terms of performance, the AVG suite dealt with malware well enough but its adware removal and pro-activeness defences were at or below par.
Verdict: Good for those who like things kept simple. Just don't expect the world.

BitDefender Internet Security 2009

Pros: Solid anti-virus; powerful and configurable firewall; cheap.
Cons: Too technical; weak help system; weak anti-spyware.
Although it's markedly cheaper than all the other suites here, BitDefender Internet Security 2009 is more comprehensive than several of the other products, incorporating the usual anti-spam and parental controls. But it's also more complicated and doesn't do much to shield the user from networking jargon.
Much like AVG, BitDefender proved capable at virus detection and removal, but didn't handle spyware very well. However, it was excellent at pro-active detection.
Verdict: Cheaper than most other suites, but it's best used by more technical users, since it can be complicated to set up and configure.

F-Secure Internet Security 2009

Pros: Excellent detection rates; quality parental controls.
Cons: Expensive; extra features (aside from parental controls) are weak.
We're a little torn on the latest iteration of F-Secure's suite. On the one hand it performed extremely well in the tests, rivalled perhaps only by Symantec. On the other hand, the suite is too expensive by far and doesn't come with a huge array of extra features to justify the price. It's not very user-friendly and tends to query you too much by default.
There's also not that much to the suite beyond the core anti-virus, anti-spyware and firewall features. Its anti-spam is not that useful, and is very painful to train - painful enough that we wouldn't recommend using it. The web protection is also very limited, but the parental controls are surprisingly good.
Verdict: Does little to shield the user from its complexity, but does have excellent virus and spyware detection rates.

ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite 2009

Pros: Powerful firewall; unrivaled configurability; runs silently; easy to install and use.
Cons: Can be a little technical.
ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite 2009 doesn't suck up massive system resources, nor does it harass you constantly. Instead it sits quietly in the background and makes most of the decisions for you. But if you like to tinker, the firewall is powerful and configurable. The interface is clean and easy to use, and there are a good many features built into the suite, including identity theft protections, anti-spam, parental controls, anti-phishing and website protection.
Verdict: Technical users will love it, and even beginners should be able to approach ZoneAlarm with some confidence. It's full of features, and most are very well-implemented.

McAfee Internet Security 2009

Pros: Comprehensive protection; excellent help system; easy to use.
Cons: Can be a little noisy.
Internet Security 2009 is logically laid out, provides a whole raft of protections - including the best web browsing protection in the business - and is generally easy to configure. We're particularly fond of the help system and tips that McAfee provides with the suite. It does an excellent job of explaining in plain English what's going on, what all the settings mean and what changing a given setting will do. Total Protection adds a number of features to the suite, including a more advanced version of web content protection and a raft of relatively minor system utilities, but may not be worth the extra cost.
Verdict: Easier to use and lighter on system resources than ever, McAfee Internet Security packs in a tonne of features at a reasonable cost.

Symantec Norton Internet Security 2009

Pros: Light; fast; excellent security.
Cons: Poor anti-spam and parental controls.
Once roundly (and fairly) criticized for being bloated, slow and sucking up massive amounts of computer memory, the new versions of Norton Internet Security are anything but. In fact, Norton Internet Security 2009 is exactly what we want in a suite: something that works in the background without ever hassling the user, doesn't take up many system resources and protects us from all the major threats the Internet has to offer.
The array of protections the suite offers is comprehensive: anti-malware, anti-spyware, identity and phishing protection, website protection, IM protection, some basic parental controls and more. However, the anti-spam and parental controls are not up to the standards of some of the other products here.
In spite of those minor shortcomings, Symantec has done great things with the suite, making it nearly invisible.
For some $40 more, you can get Norton 360, a product that adds backup and system tuning to the capabilities of the suite.
Verdict: Our pick of the suites; it keeps you very well protected, yet you'll hardly know it's even there.

Kaspersky Internet Security 2009

Pros: Excellent malware detection; easy to use, light on system resources.
Cons: Some of the extra features are a little weak; poor help system.
Along with Symantec and F-Secure, Kaspersky was one of the standouts in testing, producing very good results for both malware and spyware removal.
Along with the core firewall, anti-malware and anti-spyware, Kaspersky Internet Security 2009 incorporates parental controls, anti-spam, anti-phishing and identity theft protection. For now, most of these additional features are checkbox implementations; that is, they meet the requirements of a checkbox on the spec sheet, but aren't really a core feature of the product and are not terribly well implemented.
The help system could be better implemented, and the extra features a little more comprehensive, but Kaspersky has done some great work with this suite and we definitely recommend it.
Verdict: It's still a little technical, and some of the extra features are a little lacking, but Kaspersky provides excellent protection at a reasonable price.

Trend Micro PC-Cillin Internet Security 2009

Pros: Very easy to use; comprehensive feature set.
Cons: Can be a little difficult to tinker with.
Trend Micro PC-Cillin Internet Security has always been a great product for non technical users. It doesn't shower you with jargon or networking terminology. It allows you to control most of your settings with simple sliders and it doesn't harass you with endless pop-ups.
It has the usual anti-malware, anti-spyware and firewall, but it also has very good parental controls, web identity theft protection, anti-spam, anti-phishing and network security configuration. With the possible exception of the anti-spam, all are well implemented.
Verdict: Top marks for ease of installation and use, as well as features. Its protection isn't stunning, but it will get the job done.

CA Internet Security Suite Plus 2009

Pros: Simple interface; excellent parental controls; good anti-spam.
Cons: Questionable performance.
While there wasn't much daylight between the test results for most of the products reviewed here, CA Internet Security Suite Plus stood out for its remarkably poor performance. Admittedly, the test results are for the previous version of the product (the 2008 version), but results like this would seriously make us consider the value of purchasing this suite. It's a shame, too, because there's a good deal to this suite beyond it's anti-virus and anti-malware functions. Its parental controls are a particular highlight, with some of the most comprehensive capabilities we've seen in a suite. It also has phishing protection, backup and recovery software, a good spam filter and a personal firewall.
Verdict: It's easy to use and has plenty of features, but its 2008 version test results are a major black mark against it.

Taken from a NetGuide magazine that I spent ages typing up. :)
These are 2009 versions but will hopefully update with reviews on 2010 updates.

lor said:

TBH I don't really care what hackers do and don't do. The self-proclaimed ones are usually not what they make themselves out to be and are usually the ones who end up getting viruses because they think they're unstoppable (and I'm not talking to you specifically so don't fret). No offense.

Personally, I use AV's for self-reassurance. I'm so uptight about anything I download and get sent. ATM though I don't even use one.

You have self proclaimed ones there like AVG and Norton but I do agree with you on that point.

And with your second point, Main reason I dont use a Anti-Virus is because I tend to rely on it to pick up a virus when 75% of time it wont. This way I will be more careful and precautious on what I download