Computer viruses can wreck your machine. So we all know that we need to have antivirus software. Many computer novices will take a ride down to PC World and buy a branded product off the shelf, such as Norton AntiVirus. But I did a straw poll among my geeky computer friends about the product that they had on their home computer for protection. Guess what? None of them used Norton.

So what do they know that the average computer doesn't? Well first off, Norton is a pretty good piece of software in detecting and dealing with viruses. However it is something of a resources hog. This means that it needs a lot of computing power to run. Most users will notice a drop off in the performance of their PC.

This probably won't concern you if you just use your computer to type a few Word documents. But if you want to use it for gaming or surfing the Internet, it will make a massive difference.

The other point about going out and buying a product from a PC shop is that once you've opened the seal, the computer shop is very unlikely to take the product back for a refund unless it is faulty. However, if you download a product from the Internet, they usually come with a 30-trial version. That way you can get used to the interface and see if you like the product before paying for the full version.

I was also told that Norton is expensive for what you get. There are other similar or better products out there that simply cost less. They include Internet companies that don't have to pay for expensive packaging or branding. They just rely on the effectiveness of their products to do the talking for them.

If you're looking for an effective antivirus solution it's worth doing some research first. Check out the reviews from the PC magazines and independent organizations like Virus Bulletin.

Need an antivirus software comparison? Then visit http://www.top-antivirus-software.com. Find out if the AVG virus scan is all it's cracked up to be.