RAM Cleaners
You’ve hit on the exact reason why most system administrators and power users call those apps "snake oil." You are completely correct: Advanced SystemCare (ASC) is largely performing a visual magic trick rather than actually making your computer faster.
Here is the breakdown of why those "Clean RAM" numbers look so high and why your script is actually telling you the truth.
The "Emptying the Room" Trick
Imagine you are working in a room with 10 people. A "RAM Cleaner" comes in, yells "Everybody out!", and pushes them into the hallway. The room is now empty (Free RAM), but the people (your apps) are still there, just standing in a cramped, slow hallway (the Page File on your hard drive).
Why the "Cleaned" value is so high:
- Forced Memory Trimming: ASC sends a command to every open application (VS Code, Firefox, Discord) forcing them to give up their "Working Set" (the RAM they are currently using) and move it to the Page File.
- The Illusion: Your "Free RAM" counter spikes by 1.3GB. ASC takes credit for it.
- The Reality: The second you click back into Firefox, the system has to "page" that data back from your SSD into your RAM. This causes a micro-stutter or a lag spike. You actually lost performance to get that 1.3GB of "free" space.
Why you don't see those values in your tables
Your script reports the Working Set. This is the actual physical memory an app is using to stay fast. ASC "clears" memory that isn't technically "empty"—it just moves it from a fast place (RAM) to a slow place (Disk).
Windows already does this automatically! If you launch a heavy game, Windows will silently "trim" the memory of background apps to make room. The difference is that Windows does it intelligently based on need, while ASC does it aggressively based on a button click.
Should you delete Advanced SystemCare?
Short answer: Yes.
On a modern system with 32GB of RAM and an SSD, Advanced SystemCare is likely doing more harm than good:
- CPU Overhead: It runs background processes just to monitor other processes.
- SSD Wear: Constantly forcing RAM into the Page File increases "Writes" to your SSD, technically shortening its lifespan (though only slightly).
- Redundancy: Windows 10 and 11 have "Storage Sense" and native memory management that are far more sophisticated than 3rd-party cleaners.
How to "Clean RAM" the right way (The Pro way)
If you want to ensure your RAM is available for a big task, the best "cleaning" is actually what your script suggests:
- Close the App: If Firefox is using 2GB, closing it actually deletes the data rather than just moving it to the disk.
- Restart the "Explorer" process: Sometimes
explorer.exegets bloated; restarting it clears legitimate junk. - Clear Standby List: This is the only thing RAM cleaners do that is occasionally useful. It clears the "cached" files. (We can actually add a command to your script to do this safely if you really want to).
The Verdict
You have 32GB of RAM. Unless you are doing 4K video editing or running 10 virtual machines, you will almost never run out of memory. ASC is showing you big "Cleaned" numbers to make you feel like the software is working, but it's really just moving your furniture into the garage and calling the house "clean."
Would you like me to add a "Safe Flush" function to your script that clears the Standby Cache only? This is the "clean" that actually helps without slowing down your active apps.