AV software for single core system

[Just_tweak_it]

Hi everybody! It's been a really long time. Everybody always had good advice here, so I think I've got another good question for you. I know it's obsolete and all that, but I have a single core VIA C7-D 1.8Ghz processor running XP with 2 GB of memory. Overall it works very well, seems stable, and I like to have it because of some design software that I purchased back in the day. Here's where the problem comes in.

The problem occurs whenever I install some type of antivirus software. The processor will often get bogged down and utilized to the point of 100% in task manager. I emailed someone at VIA and they stated the issue is due to it being single core, and the AV software gets prioritized.

I've tried Webroot Secure Anywhere, and it was horrible. It's supposedly able to run on Celeron and K6 according to the system requirements. I seriously can't imagine it on a K6-2. I've also tried F-Prot, and it's better, but still causes momentary hesitation and random cpu spikes even when everything is idle.

So I was wondering what software would you recommend? Are there any products out there today that work on modest single core systems? For what it's worth, I still use AMD Sempron and Turion processors (both single core) and do not notice any of these issues. Could this be a compatibility issue with VIA, and software companies aren't including them?

[Gizmo]

I seem to recall that the Centaur CPUs tended to run slow under certain conditions.

Bear in mind that the Centaur is built around the idea of a relatively unsophisticated in-order execution core with really good branch-prediction and look-aside buffers, and a relatively small cache (L1 is 16K, L2 is 128K, there is no L3).

It seems likely that the AV software is swamping the cache and probably the memory bus, while also making a dog's breakfast out of the branch-prediction logic, and all of these things are contributing to your performance woes.

I'm not sure if they are compatible with your mobo, but the Nano and Eden series processors are pin-compatible with the C7, so IN THEORY you could swap for a higher-performing CPU. I know the Nano and Eden have both been shipped in Vista systems, so one would think they would handle the load a bit better.

[Just_tweak_it]

Unfortunately the C7-D that I have is soldered to the motherboard. It would be too difficult for me to even attempt changing it.

[Gizmo]

Ah, yes. I had forgotten that low-cost systems typically have pretty much everything soldered to the board. Sockets are expensive.

[cloasters]

Ah, for the old days of comparatively giant components that could be handled with a by today's standards huge soldering iron tip. I never acquired the ability to solder surface mount caps and resistors, not to mention de-soldering a CPU. Sorry that you are stuck with that ancient processor. It's always something.

[Just_tweak_it]

The C7-D is actually quite small. It's more like the size of a chipset; very small for a processor.

[cloasters]

Does that mean you can de-solder it and replace it with a more modern processor? It'd be nice if it's possible.

[Gizmo]

It's a very small Ball Grid Array package, which can only be soldered using specialized equipment.

[Just_tweak_it]

Yea with all those pins and contact points, I wouldn't want to attempt it.