Dave The Diver

Dave The Diver is an Adventure title that, on this particular hardware pairing, produces a playable but not spectacular experience. The AMD Ryzen 5 3600 and Intel Arc B390 combination delivers its best results at 1080p, where frame rates are generally smooth, but it struggles to maintain high performance at 4K. The data shows a clear performance hierarchy based on resolution, with the CPU providing a solid foundation and the GPU becoming the primary bottleneck as pixel count increases.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Ryzen 5 3600 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 2 architecture, built on a 7 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.20 GHz, with a 65W TDP. This CPU features a 32 MB shared L3 cache, which is ample for gaming workloads. In synthetic benchmarks, the Ryzen 5 3600 scores 15,045 points in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2,124 points in single-core, indicating balanced performance that can handle both multi-threaded tasks and single-threaded game logic. Its PassMark multithread score of 17,700 and single-thread score of 2,562 show it holds its own against more modern parts.

For Dave The Diver, the CPU’s role is crucial for maintaining consistent frame pacing, especially at lower resolutions where the GPU is less stressed. The 6-core/12-thread configuration ensures the game’s background simulation and AI logic have enough headroom. The 3dmark scores support this: 4,605 for 16 threads and 4,603 for max threads, showing the processor scales well with additional load. The single-thread score of 696 in 3dmark is modest, but Dave The Diver is not a heavily physics-based title, so the Ryzen 5 3600’s capabilities are sufficient.

The Ryzen 5 3600 sits at the 71st percentile of all CPUs, meaning it outperforms roughly 71% of processors tested on this platform. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-1260P and Intel Core i5-11400, with average scores of 17,007 and 17,067, respectively. The Ryzen 5 3600’s average benchmark score of 17,035 places it within a 0.2% delta of these CPUs, indicating near-identical overall processing power. This positions the CPU as a strong mid-range option that will not bottleneck the system in Dave The Diver, especially at 1080p and 1440p where the GPU takes on the bulk of the rendering load.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics solution based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on a 3 nm process. It has a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz, which is a significant dynamic range. The GPU has 1,536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 raster output units, along with 12 ray tracing cores. Critically, the B390 uses System Shared memory, meaning it has no dedicated VRAM; it borrows from system RAM, and its bandwidth is described as "System Dependent."

This shared memory configuration is the primary limitation for the Arc B390. In Dave The Diver, the GPU’s performance directly scales with resolution, as seen in the measured FPS data. At 1080p High settings, the average FPS is 81, which is playable. However, at 4K High settings, the average drops to 41 FPS, a 50% reduction. The 3dmark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1,482 places the B390 at the 9th percentile of all GPUs, which is quite low. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX and GeForce 800M, with the B390 being 1.3% to 2.7% faster than these older, entry-level parts.

The GPU’s FP32 performance is 7.680 TFLOPS, and its pixel rate is 60.00 GPixel/s, but these theoretical numbers do not translate into high real-world gaming performance due to the memory bottleneck. For Dave The Diver, the B390 is the limiting factor at higher resolutions. At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 108, which is excellent, but at 4K Ultra, it falls to 36 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay. The shared memory architecture means that as resolution increases, the system must allocate more memory bandwidth, which severely hampers the GPU’s ability to render frames quickly.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases, which is typical when the GPU is the primary bottleneck. Starting at 1920x1080, the average FPS across settings ranges from 108 (Low) to 72 (Ultra). Moving to 2560x1440, the average FPS drops to 82 (Low) and 54 (Ultra), representing a 24% decrease at Low and a 25% decrease at Ultra. At 3840x2160, the averages fall further to 55 (Low) and 36 (Ultra), which is a 49% decrease from 1080p Low and a 50% decrease from 1080p Ultra.

This scaling behavior indicates that the system is CPU-bound at lower resolutions and GPU-bound at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the Ryzen 5 3600 has enough processing power to feed frames to the GPU, and the B390 can keep up. However, as the pixel count increases, the B390’s lack of dedicated VRAM and low memory bandwidth become apparent. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is moderate, but the drop from 1440p to 4K is steep, suggesting the GPU is hitting a hard limit.

For example, at 1440p Medium, the average FPS is 68, which is still playable, but at 4K Medium, it drops to 46 FPS. The minimum FPS at 1440p Medium is 58, while at 4K Medium it is 39, showing that not only does the average drop, but the frame pacing becomes more erratic. This is a classic sign of a GPU that is running out of memory bandwidth. If the system were more balanced, we would expect a more linear scaling, but the data shows a steeper cliff, confirming the Arc B390 is the limiting component at 4K.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with High settings in Dave The Diver?

A: The average FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings is 81. This is a smooth, playable frame rate for most gamers, indicating the combo handles the game well at this resolution.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B390 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The Arc B390’s average benchmark score is 1,482, which is 1.3% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX and 2.7% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM. It sits at the 9th percentile of all GPUs, indicating it is an entry-level performer.

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 5 3600 a good match for this GPU in this game?

A: The Ryzen 5 3600 has an average benchmark score of 17,035, which is 0.2% higher than the Intel Core i7-1260P. The CPU is not the bottleneck at higher resolutions; the GPU is, as evidenced by the steep FPS drops from 1440p to 4K.

Q: What is the best resolution to play Dave The Diver with this combo?

A: Based on the data, 1920x1080 is the best choice. At 1080p Ultra, the average FPS is 72, which is above the 60 FPS threshold. At 1440p Ultra, the average drops to 54 FPS, which is less ideal.

Q: How much does the FPS drop from 1080p to 4K at Medium settings?

A: At 1080p Medium, the average FPS is 91. At 4K Medium, the average FPS is 46. This represents a 49.5% decrease, showing the GPU’s performance halves when moving to 4K.

Q: What are the minimum FPS values at Medium settings?

A: At 1080p Medium, the minimum FPS is 77. At 1440p Medium, it is 58. At 4K Medium, it is 39. These minimums show that frame drops become more pronounced at higher resolutions, affecting smoothness.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo of the AMD Ryzen 5 3600 and Intel Arc B390 ranks 2,538 out of 2,867 tested combinations for Dave The Diver. This places it in the bottom 12% of all combos, which is a low ranking. The percentile of the GPU (9th) is the primary driver of this low rank, as the CPU is in the 71st percentile. The data suggests that while the CPU is capable, the GPU significantly drags down the overall gaming experience, especially at higher resolutions.

This ranking means that for Dave The Diver, most other CPU-GPU pairings will deliver better performance. The combo is only marginally better than the absolute weakest entries, and it is clear that the Arc B390 is the weak link. If a user were to pair the Ryzen 5 3600 with a more powerful GPU, the rank would improve dramatically. However, as configured, this combo is only suitable for 1080p gaming at lower to medium settings, and it struggles to maintain playable frame rates at 4K.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combo is as follows, broken down by resolution and settings:

At 1920x1080:

• Low: Average FPS is 108.
• Medium: Average FPS is 91, with a minimum of 77 and a maximum of 104.
• High: Average FPS is 81.
• Ultra: Average FPS is 72.

At 2560x1440:

• Low: Average FPS is 82.
• Medium: Average FPS is 68, with a minimum of 58 and a maximum of 78.
• High: Average FPS is 61.
• Ultra: Average FPS is 54.

At 3840x2160:

• Low: Average FPS is 55.
• Medium: Average FPS is 46, with a minimum of 39 and a maximum of 53.
• High: Average FPS is 41.
• Ultra: Average FPS is 36.

The data shows a consistent pattern: for each settings tier, the FPS drops by roughly 25% when moving from 1080p to 1440p, and then by another 50% when moving from 1440p to 4K. For example, at High settings, the FPS goes from 81 → 61 → 41. At Ultra, it goes from 72 → 54 → 36. The minimum FPS values at Medium settings show that the frame pacing becomes less stable at higher resolutions, with the gap between minimum and maximum widening from 27 FPS at 1080p to 14 FPS at 4K.

In summary, this combo is best suited for 1080p gaming. At 1080p, even Ultra settings maintain an average of 72 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS target for most displays. At 1440p, the frame rates are playable but not ideal, with Ultra dipping below 55 FPS. At 4K, the experience is generally poor, with all settings averaging below 55 FPS, and Ultra falling to 36 FPS, which is not smooth for an adventure title that benefits from consistent frame delivery.