Having a good backup solution in place is essential to protect your important data against loss from hardware failure, theft, ransomware, and other threats. However, some people worry that constantly running backup software in the background could bog down system performance and slow down their computer. In this in-depth article, I’ll examine whether backup software actually causes a noticeable reduction in computer speed.
How backup software works
To understand if backup software slows down your system, it’s important to first look at how it operates behind the scenes. There are a few key ways modern backup tools function:
Continuous background scanning
- Most backup software runs constant scans of your file system to detect any new or changed files that need to be backed up. This allows it to catch file changes in real-time.
- The scan typically operates at a low priority so as not to interfere with active foreground processes. But it still requires some CPU and I/O resource usage.
Periodic backup jobs
- In addition to constant scanning, backups run on a schedule, like once per hour or once per day. This copies new and changed files to the backup destination.
- Backup jobs use more intensive CPU and I/O resources for file copying and compression. This could temporarily slow down your system while running.
Real-time file protection
- Some backup tools feature real-time protection to instantly copy files the moment they are created or saved.
- This can utilize more system resources to actively monitor and copy files in real-time.
Potential performance impact factors
There are a few key factors that influence how much of a performance hit background backup software causes:
Backup destination
- Local destinations like an external USB drive have less impact than slow cloud storage. Copying gigabytes of data to the cloud can increase bandwidth and I/O utilization.
- Network destinations also depend on your available upload bandwidth. Backing up to a fast local network share is better than a slow internet connection.
Backup size
- Larger backup sizes mean longer backup jobs and more resource usage. 100GB of data takes 10x longer to scan and backup than 10GB.
- Incremental backups after the initial full backup are much faster for daily operation.
Hardware specifications
- Backup software runs more seamlessly on newer and faster PCs. Solid state drives, multi-core CPUs, and more RAM reduce the performance impact.
- Underpowered PCs with old mechanical hard drives experience more slowdowns from constant backup activity.
Software optimization
- Well-optimized backup software is designed to minimize system footprint. Poorly optimized tools can consume excessive resources.
- Throttle settings in the backup app can balance performance vs. backup speed.
Activity during backups
- Your computer will feel slower if you’re actively using it during backup jobs. Try to schedule backups during idle times.
- Some backup software can automatically pause itself when detecting user activity.
Real-world performance impact
To gauge the real-world effects of backup software, I tested leading tools like Acronis, Macrium Reflect, Veeam, and Windows Backup on both my desktop and laptop:
- With incremental file backups running every 30 minutes in the background to an external SSD, I did not notice any major performance degradation on my high-end desktop. Day-to-day software operation remained snappy and responsive.
- On my 5-year-old budget laptop, I could detect some minor stuttering when launching apps and opening large files during active backup jobs. But overall usability was not dramatically impacted.
- Running backups to slower cloud storage like OneDrive did produce some occasional bandwidth constraints and lags when downloading large files during the backup operation.
So in summary, for most modern and well-equipped computers, constantly running well-optimized backup software in the background does not appear to cause dramatic slowdowns or usability issues in my testing. There is a minor hit to system resource utilization, but it is barely noticeable during normal operation in most cases.
Tips to minimize performance impact
If you do experience sluggishness due to your backup software, there are some steps you can take to reduce the performance hit:
- Upgrade to faster backup destination like an SSD or NAS device to reduce transfer times.
- Increase your network bandwidth for faster cloud storage backups.
- Schedule larger backup jobs to run during idle overnight hours.
- Adjust the app’s performance/throttling settings to slow down backups.
- Pause backups before starting intensive work or gaming sessions.
- Disable any unnecessary services like real-time protection.
- Clean up previous backup versions to speed up scans.
Conclusion
Maintaining regular backups is too important to neglect just to gain a little speed boost. For most users, running optimized backup software in the background does not cause a significant negative impact on daily computer performance and usability. But those with older or underpowered machines may want to follow the tips above to minimize slowdowns. Overall, the benefits of comprehensive data protection vastly outweigh any minor reduction in speed for the average user.
