From what I could find out it clears out old files Windows files, defragments hard disks, and turns off non key window process during games. Rather or not it will help much I guess depends on how much RAM you have. (I not used cortex but I left the links I used to get the information above) Sources https://www.razer.com/cortex/system-booster https://www.techradar.com/uk/reviews/razer-cortex Edit: to what you were asking about if its shake oil. the process being turned off would free up some RAM but if you knew what you are doing you could turn them off yourself like the video Alex did on the windows 10 video (although you probably want need to go that extreme) Answer from _tommar_ on reddit.com
Reddit
reddit.com › r/lowspecgamer › is razer cortex good for optimisation, or just snake oil?
r/lowspecgamer on Reddit: Is Razer Cortex good for optimisation, or just snake oil?
April 10, 2018 -
Ive been playing modded mc for a while now and have noticed some hate towards game boosters/optimisers on this subreddit, but I have noticed something (at least with my system):
Razer Cortex actually does a very good job of boosting performance by allowing for my game to use more RAM (around 1GB extra RAM to use)
So my question: is Razer Cortex actually any good? Or is something else behind my performance increase?
SPECS:
Type: Laptop
CPU: i3-4005U
GPU: Intel HD 4400
RAM: 4GB DDR3
OS: Windows 7 Pro
Top answer 1 of 17
7
From what I could find out it clears out old files Windows files, defragments hard disks, and turns off non key window process during games. Rather or not it will help much I guess depends on how much RAM you have.
(I not used cortex but I left the links I used to get the information above)
Sources
https://www.razer.com/cortex/system-booster
https://www.techradar.com/uk/reviews/razer-cortex
Edit: to what you were asking about if its shake oil. the process being turned off would free up some RAM but if you knew what you are doing you could turn them off yourself like the video Alex did on the windows 10 video (although you probably want need to go that extreme)
2 of 17
5
Probably a stupid question but do you use optifine?
Razer
razer.com › ca-en › cortex
Game Booster For PC and Laptops | Razer Cortex | Razer Canada
Streamlined✅ Game booster✅ Power performance✅ Game with faster load times and higher framerates. Download Razer Cortex today.
Videos
05:37
Razer Cortex On vs Off | Is this program worth it? - YouTube
03:58
Razer Cortex : Does it really works... - YouTube
05:12
I Tried the BEST Razer Cortex Settings for Gaming 🎮 | Ultimate ...
06:43
MAXMIUM Performance & Fix Lag– Razer Cortex Best Settings for ...
Replying to @chimmyjz Testing Razer Cortex Tip Again! #fpstips #fpstest #fpsboost #helpfps #razercortex #increasefps | TikTok
10:09
Razer Synapse / Cortex - Review - YouTube
Steam Community
steamcommunity.com › discussions › forum › 11 › 3183488224894755636
Should i get RAZER CORTEX GAME BOOSTER? :: Hardware and Operating Systems
March 20, 2022 - On a well maintained system? Unnecessary bloatware. On a system that actualy benefits from that? Well, why don't optimize it properly so the system runs better all the time · I wouldn't. But I don't need it. Never used it. I did check it out ages ago and it just sounded a bit meh to me
Tom's Hardware Forum
forums.tomshardware.com › home › software › pc gaming
Discussion - Razer Cortex Game Booster | Tom's Hardware Forum
April 27, 2025 - Many times, such applications actually cause more harm than good. Your experience confirms YMMV. Click to expand... indeed. often these programs in an effortr to free up memory can urn off somwething important and reduxce stabuility. but Razer has a goof rep with gamers, so i waswilling to try it and was pleasantly surprised
TechRadar
techradar.com › pro › software & services
Razer Cortex review | TechRadar
Razer Cortex review
Indeed, Razer Cortex is an ideal tool to help improve your gaming experience, but it’s not very versatile. You can do many other things to enhance your experience even as you run Razer Cortex. Though, being entirely free is a good perk. Can Razer Cortex help improve your gaming rig’s performance?
Reddit
reddit.com › r/pcmasterrace › razer cortex yes or no??
r/pcmasterrace on Reddit: Razer Cortex Yes Or No??
April 17, 2025 -
so I've been using RazerCortex for a couple of months and I haven't seen any improvements and I know that there are a lot of people out there who say that it's useless and only slows down the PC, but I wanted to know more with your answers and whether I should keep it or not
Top answer 1 of 4
3
It's useless piece if shit, as any other "optimizer booster trash 20000 Elite" shit. Same for almost all scripts, tweaks, custom windows versions. Wanna better performance? Buy better hardware/install less demanding software or/and OS and just don't trash your autoloads and background apps with useless trash you don't need. There is no fucking magic.
2 of 4
2
Why not just run a few games with and without it to test for yourself? I am very skeptical those programs do anything considering Windows has "game mode" built in which gives priority to games and will stop processes like automatic updates while a game is running
Quora
quora.com › Can-I-trust-Razer-Cortex-Game-Booster
Can I trust 'Razer Cortex' Game Booster? - Quora
Any game booster which includes Razer cortex kills any background processes which take up memory and allocates that memory to the game that you are playing. Since the game has more memory to work on it feels as if the...
Razer
insider.razer.com › razer-cortex-39 › cortex-sucks-10444
cortex sucks | Razer Insider
April 26, 2020 - Cortex will start up by default, which is why I noticed a dramatic drop in fps as well as quality the day after installing. Uninstalled cortex, getting my usual FPS of consistent 144hz (which is between 10-20fps better than cortex on average) ...
Reddit
reddit.com › r/razer › is razer cortex even good in 2023?
r/razer on Reddit: Is Razer Cortex Even Good in 2023?
February 27, 2023 -
I watched a video on how Razer Cortex is a good software to improve performance on games... However Im still a bit skeptical about it
Top answer 1 of 2
1
It's ok if you have VERY little ram and a lot of shitty background programs running in your pc. Like if you're not playing, and your cpu is pegged at like 10% or more? It might help. It helps by closing or freezing background processes, freeing up more for your game. If you are already doing that manually then it won't do much
2 of 2
1
For me it helped a lot, even with a mid end pc (ryzen 5 4600g, rx6600xt, 16gb ram) Valorant (extremly cpu intensive, gpu doesnt even matter) it made my fps go from 130 to 180. It just disables all background task during gaming and it does a great job. Other titles it's not a huge improvement but yeah give it would say give it a try.
YouTube
youtube.com › watch
Razer Cortex Review: Boost FPS and Optimize Graphics Settings? - YouTube
How to increase framerates in games: Razer Cortex promises to boost FPS in games, as well as optimize graphics settings using machine learning AI algorithms....
Published July 3, 2021
Tom's Hardware Forum
forums.tomshardware.com › home › software › pc gaming
[SOLVED] - Razer cortex - good or bad? | Tom's Hardware Forum
January 20, 2019 - Overall, Razer Cortex is just one of those software that promise to make your PC run times faster but ends up making it run slower in the process.
Windows Central Forum
forums.windowscentral.com › home › the os, software & ai hub › windows discussion
Which one is more effective, Gaming Mode or Razer Cortex? | Windows Central Forum
June 18, 2017 - (ps.: you CAN play games on a laptop) ... Benchmarking on gaming mode show that it only bumps a few fps (which can make the difference when the game would otherwise be unplayable, but otherwise not a big deal). It does however also increase consistency, so you don't get as much sudden sporadic lag.
Razer
insider.razer.com › razer-cortex-39 › razer-cortex-has-had-a-significant-impact-on-my-computer-s-performance-45153
Razer Cortex has had a significant impact on my computer's performance | Razer Insider
March 29, 2023 - Razer Cortex has had a significant impact on my computer's performance. I have observed that when I am not using Razer Cortex, my frames per second (FPS) is consistently at 60. However, when Razer Cortex is running in the background, my FPS ...
MakeUseOf
makeuseof.com › home › gaming › what is razer cortex and does it actually work?
What Is Razer Cortex and Does It Actually Work?
July 15, 2021 - If you have a really low-end machine and you're comfortable playing at 25-30 FPS, then you might just about get some use out of the software. However, the chances are that any improvements you see will be so small as to be completely negligible. If your PC cannot run a game, then Razer Cortex won't make it run properly. Related: What Is Nvidia's Resizable BAR?
guru3D Forums
forums.guru3d.com › home › hardware › general hardware
Does Razer Cortex/Game/System "Booster" actually work? | guru3D Forums
September 17, 2019 - It seems with Razer Cortex you can sort of automate closing certain processes and it claims to free up resources/help clean the system and improve performance. Online I've read mixed reports -- some users claim it does indeed help while others say it doesn't do anything at all. I thought I'd...
EarlyGame
earlygame.com › homepage › gaming
Is Razer Cortex worthwhile if you don’t have their hardware?
October 22, 2024 - As a gamer (who is painfully aware of how much upgrading hardware can cost), I'm always on the lookout for tools like this, so decided to give it a try. The short story? It's hard not to recommend Razer Cortex to most users, especially as it's ...
Quora
quora.com › Does-Razer-Cortex-actually-work
Does Razer Cortex actually work? - Quora
Answer: Final verdict. Razer Cortex is a great free tool that can help improve performance in games, particularly if you're running titles that demand a large amount of RAM. Razer Cortex can help you recover 1 or 2 GB of memory from background ...
Razer
razer.com › cortex › booster-prime
PC Settings Optimizer For Gaming | Razer Cortex: Booster Prime✔️ | Razer United States
Optimisable✅ Enhanced visuals✅ Predictive FPS✅ Make Razer Cortex's Booster Prime part of your gaming gear today. Play like the pros do.
Malwarebytes Forums
forums.malwarebytes.com › home › malware removal help › windows malware removal help & support › resolved malware removal logs › popup health-smooth-eu2
popup health-smooth-eu2 - Resolved Malware Removal Logs - Malwarebytes Forums
December 1, 2025 - Hello everyone,a friend of mine noticed a popup on his computer named ''health-smooth-eu2''. He was hacked just a week ago on discord, we didn't think much about it but turns out it is a result of a popup he was unaware of. We already made a scan with Malwarebytes, but we're worried that the malw...
Hyper-casual
hyper-casual.games › blog › razer-cortex-fps-boost-how-it-works-and-who-should-use-it
Razer Cortex FPS Boost: Improve Gaming Performance in 2025
June 20, 2025 - So, now that you understand how Razer Cortex works, when does it truly shine? Here are common scenarios where this tool can make a noticeable difference: If your gaming PC or laptop isn’t brand new or you don’t have the latest hardware, Razer Cortex can help free up system resources that might otherwise be clinging onto unnecessary processes.