Windows Defender can Significantly Impact Intel CPU Performance, We have the Fix

[AusWolf]

I turned my PC on today, and got "not used" from Counter Control. Previously, it has always been "Defender" until I reset the counters. Has Microsoft issued an update or something?

I'll take it back. It's back to "Defender" now.

 

[Deleted member 24505]

Tried mine a few times, always get normal 0x330

 

[unclewebb]

I'll take it back. It's back to "Defender" now.

I get "Not Used" when booting up immediately after a blue screen. A sleep resume cycle is always enough for Windows Defender to resume wasting CPU cycles. Nothing has changed with the most recent Windows Defender versions. This issue has already been forgotten.

 

[TheHunter]

I turned my PC on today, and got "not used" from Counter Control. Previously, it has always been "Defender" until I reset the counters. Has Microsoft issued an update or something?

Sometimes it shows not used, but it will start to use defender eventually.

 

[FLFLFL]

Defender ON...

Defender OFF...

the results with Defender play Up-Down on Hi margin, with Defender OFF small margin 5-7Cb only.

If I let HP bloatware to run + Intel Tuning software with Defender ON
Performance drops to 700-710Cb

The 850+ with Defender ON are from TrottleStop… otherwise i7-11th Gen plays like i5
Our good HP take care us , and Intel lock from Factory everything

 

[DyslexicStoner240]

Can someone please tell me if I can close the program once it's fixed or should I minimize it and let it run in the background?

 

[TheHunter]

There was a Defender update yesterday

and now when I rebooted few times, it started as normal or not used - by not used I started realtemp and it switched to normal 0x330, so I guess they fixed it?


EDIT: false alarm! it's back lol

 

[unclewebb]

if I can close the program once it's fixed

What program?

If you are using Counter Control then you can usually close this program and the problem will not happen again until you either reboot or do a sleep resume or hibernate resume cycle. You can run Counter Control at any time to see the status of your counters.

I prefer to run ThrottleStop 9.5 all of the time so I do not have to worry about this issue. ThrottleStop will automatically reset the timers after you resume from sleep or hibernate.

 

[DyslexicStoner240]

What program?

If you are using Counter Control then you can usually close this program and the problem will not happen again until you either reboot or do a sleep resume or hibernate resume cycle. You can run Counter Control at any time to see the status of your counters.

I prefer to run ThrottleStop 9.5 all of the time so I do not have to worry about this issue. ThrottleStop will automatically reset the timers after you resume from sleep or hibernate.

Thanks for answering my question!

 

[Jasper]

Hi,

Must I TURN ON Throttlestop using the button to realize this benefit OR is simply STARTING Throttlestop sufficient?

Thank you.

 

[unclewebb]

TURN ON

Turn On is not necessary.

Do some Cinebench testing to prove what works for your situation.

 

[mikev92]

Seems to be fixed in latest Beta build 22622.575.

 

[unclewebb]

Seems to be fixed

Interesting. Try doing a few sleep resume cycles to make sure Defender does not wake up and bite you in the back side.

Thanks for the update.

 

[mikev92]

Interesting. Try doing a few sleep resume cycles to make sure Defender does not wake up and bite you in the back side.

Thanks for the update.

Tried that and restarting a few times, still says 'Normal'. Usually it would switch to 'Defender' about 3-4 minutes after waking/booting and if it didn't then it usually would after a while. but so far it hasn't.

It's worth mentioning that this is a clean install so there's a chance that it was fixed on earlier builds but I didn't bother checking because I set up TS way back when it was discovered.

Another interesting thing is that VBS is now enabled by default when clean installing 22H2 which wasn't the case with 21H2 (when using Rufus), so I'll test how it goes with VBS off.

Edit: Same thing with VBS off so it probably has no effect on it, but yeah I'd say it's finally fixed.

 

[TheHunter]

So I upgraded to windows 11 and the issues is still present. I'm on retail channel.


Sometimes it starts as not used, but it will turn into defender mode eventually.

 

[lexluthermiester]

So I upgraded to windows 11 and the issues is still present. I'm on retail channel.


Sometimes it starts as not used, but it will turn into defender mode eventually.

Windows Defender is NOT going to behave. It is not going to obey you. So you have two options. Ignore it and carry on(dealing with the annoyances going forward), or delete Windows Defender and use something that will obey your settings and config choices. There are plenty of security suites out there that do better(some much better) than defender.

 

[TheHunter]

Windows Defender is NOT going to behave. It is not going to obey you. So you have two options. Ignore it and carry on(dealing with the annoyances going forward), or delete Windows Defender and use something that will obey your settings and config choices. There are plenty of security suites out there that do better(some much better) than defender.

Like?

I use to run nod32 security for a long time, but ditched it eventually because its built-in firewall started to eat cycles..

 

[lexluthermiester]

Like?

Comodo is my personal fav currently. Their firewall and HIPS features are second to no one, IMO. ESET is also good as is Avira.

because its built-in firewall started to eat cycles..

That's going to happen no matter what you use, especially Defender. Try to remember though, modern CPU's are far more powerful that they once were, so a firewall/security suite is not really going impact your over-all performance to any degree you will notice.

So do you research, figure out which one seems good for your needs and computing ethic/style and try it out. All of the respectable brands have a trial version for users to try. If they don't have a trial version, they're not worth your time.

 

[TheHunter]

I updated to 22h2 today and so far so good.



I totally forgot about it running in the background and it hasn't been triggered yet, now when I saw it running over 2hrs, I opened both apps to see what's going on and it's still ok

 

[TheHunter]

Yes it is fixed.

 

[lexluthermiester]

Yes it is fixed.

I still advise removing Defender and replacing it with some better and less intrusive.

 

[Mussels]

I still advise removing Defender and replacing it with some better and less intrusive.

Not many options are less intrusive

Bitdefender is good, but requires an email
Kaspersky is fine if you're not into the politics with Russia, but preinstalls a VPN
Avast, Avira, Malwarebytes have all had their own scandals and issues....



For the average home PC, defender does great.

 

[lexluthermiester]

Not many options are less intrusive

Perhaps so, but there are options. Comodo is not intrusive, privacy protection is one of their driving motivations. Avira is currently respectful of peoples privacy also. There are others as well.

For the average home PC, defender does great.

This is where we disagree. The average user has no idea the level of intrusion microsoft makes into their information and they use Defender, in part, to do it. IMPO, almost anything would be better.

 

[Mussels]

Intrusion into their information...
Sorry what exactly are they stealing from me?

Most home users have nothing on their PC worth that level of paranoia and fear.

 

[lexluthermiester]

Sorry what exactly are they stealing from me?

A detail list of files stored on a given PC as well as a list of what you download. Edge collect surfing habits and lists of sites you visit. Windows telemetry gathers data on your computing habits. It's the trifecta of privacy invasion. Anyone who allows it is fool to themselves.

Most home users have nothing on their PC worth that level of paranoia and fear.

Anything that could be used to profile a user or identify same outside the context of personal computing is a risk to said user and therefore a risk to the entire user base. There are practical risks not worth taking or tolerating. If you chose not to acknowledge those risks, that's your choice, but you can not deny they exist. Advising people not to be concerned about them is unwise.