Dave The Diver

Dave The Diver, a pixel-art adventure with a surprisingly demanding backend, presents a curious case when paired with the AMD Ryzen 5 5500 and Intel Arc B390. The data reveals a combination that is heavily constrained by its graphics component, yet the CPU’s strong multi-threaded performance ensures the frame pacing remains stable enough to explore the ocean depths. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS across resolutions and settings, examining what the numbers reveal about the limiting factors in this specific hardware pairing.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and immediately identifies the Intel Arc B390 as the primary bottleneck. At 1080p with High settings, the combo produces an average of 81 FPS. Moving to 1440p drops that average to 61 FPS, a reduction of 20 FPS. The jump to 2160p is even more punishing, with the average falling to 41 FPS. This trajectory is a classic sign of a GPU that is running out of pixel-pushing power, as the workload on the graphics card increases quadratically with resolution while the CPU’s task remains relatively static.

The scaling between Low and Ultra settings reinforces this. At 1080p, the spread between Low (108 FPS) and Ultra (72 FPS) is 36 FPS, showing the GPU is still capable of some headroom when settings are lowered. However, at 4K, the spread shrinks to just 19 FPS, from 55 FPS on Low to 36 FPS on Ultra. This compression of the FPS range at higher resolutions suggests that even on Low settings at 4K, the GPU is already saturated, leaving little room for graphical improvements without a significant frame rate penalty. The data implies that the Arc B390, with its system-shared memory, struggles to feed the renderer at 4K regardless of the visual fidelity.

What is interesting is that the Ryzen 5 5500 does not appear to be the limiting factor in this scaling. The 6-core, 12-thread processor, based on the Zen 3 architecture, has enough compute headroom to keep up with the GPU’s output. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see a much smaller performance delta between 1080p and 1440p, as the GPU would be waiting on the processor. Instead, the consistent ~20 FPS drop for each resolution step indicates the GPU is the sole arbiter of performance, a conclusion that aligns with the Arc B390’s low benchmark percentile.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics solution, a fact that fundamentally shapes its performance in Dave The Diver. Its memory is "System Shared," meaning it uses the same DDR4 memory as the CPU, and its bandwidth is "System Dependent." This is a critical weakness for a game that, while stylized, requires consistent texture streaming and fill rates. The GPU’s 24 ROPs and 48 TMUs are modest figures, and the 7.680 TFLOPS of FP32 compute, while respectable for an iGPU, is easily overwhelmed at higher resolutions. The benchmark data shows the GPU holds a 9th percentile rank among all GPUs, placing it in the lower echelon of performance.

The clock speeds tell a story of thermal and power limits. With a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost of 2500 MHz, the Arc B390 has a wide dynamic range. In a game like Dave The Diver, which may not stress the GPU to its absolute limit in every scene, the boost clock can be maintained for decent 1080p performance. However, at 4K, the sustained load likely causes the clocks to drop, as the 80W TDP envelope becomes a constraint. This explains why the 4K results are so poor; the GPU is likely throttling to maintain power limits.

The nearest rivals for the Arc B390 are ancient, low-end discrete GPUs like the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710, which it outperforms by 2.7%. This context is crucial. The Arc B390 is not competing with modern discrete graphics cards; it is competing with decade-old entry-level solutions. In Dave The Diver, this means the GPU can handle the game at lower settings, but any attempt to push visual fidelity at high resolutions will result in sub-30 FPS territory on Ultra settings. The data shows that the GPU is the definitive performance limiter in this combo.

FAQ

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

A: The data suggests 1920x1080 is the optimal resolution. At 1080p, even the most demanding preset (Ultra) achieves an average of 72 FPS, while High settings reach 81 FPS. Moving to 1440p drops High settings to 61 FPS, and 4K High settings fall to 41 FPS, which is below the smoothness threshold for many players.

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

A: The Intel Arc B390 outperforms the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 by 2.7% in average benchmark scores. It also beats the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM by 2.5% and the NVIDIA GeForce 800M by 1.5%. Its closest competitor is the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, which it leads by only 1.3%.

Q: Will lowering settings from High to Medium provide a significant boost in frame rate?

A: Yes, but the benefit diminishes as resolution increases. At 1080p, moving from High (81 FPS) to Medium (91 FPS) yields a 10 FPS improvement. At 1440p, the gain is 7 FPS (from 61 to 68 FPS). At 4K, the gain shrinks to 5 FPS (from 41 to 46 FPS), indicating the GPU is the primary constraint.

Q: Does the Ryzen 5 5500 bottleneck the Intel Arc B390?

A: The benchmark data does not indicate a CPU bottleneck. The Ryzen 5 5500 has a 73rd percentile ranking among all CPUs and a substantial multi-core score of 16,429 in Cinebench R23. The FPS scaling pattern, which is heavily dependent on resolution, is characteristic of a GPU-limited scenario, not a CPU-limited one.

Q: Is the Ultra preset playable at 1920x1080?

A: Yes, the measured average FPS for Ultra at 1080p is 72 FPS. While this is lower than the High preset, it is still above the 60 FPS threshold that is generally considered smooth for this type of adventure game, making it a viable option for players who prioritize visual quality.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 4K?

A: The difference is 19 FPS. On Low settings, the combo averages 55 FPS, while on Ultra, it averages just 36 FPS. This indicates that even the lowest settings cannot fully alleviate the GPU’s struggles at 4K resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 5500 and Intel Arc B390 ranks 2538 out of 2867 tested combos in Dave The Diver. This places it in the bottom 12% of all system configurations, which is consistent with the Arc B390’s low GPU percentile. The ranking is a direct consequence of the graphics card’s performance ceiling, as the CPU is a relatively capable mid-range part. This pairing is a stark example of how a weak GPU can drag down an otherwise decent system.

The CPU’s own metrics are solid; its average benchmark score of 19,593 puts it in the 73rd percentile, with rivals like the Intel Core i5-12500 being just 0.4% faster. However, this CPU strength is irrelevant when the GPU is the limiting factor. The combo rank reflects the worst-case scenario for the Ryzen 5 5500, as it is hamstrung by the integrated graphics. In this configuration, the system is only suitable for 1080p gaming, and even then, it operates at the lower end of the performance spectrum.

The data implies that the Ryzen 5 5500 has significant untapped potential. If paired with a discrete GPU, its rank would be dramatically higher. As it stands, the combo’s low rank is a warning to users who might expect the CPU’s strength to carry the system. In Dave The Diver, the GPU is the sole determinant of the experience, and its performance is what drags the combo down to the 2538th position.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS values, the optimal experience for this combo is at 1920x1080 with High settings. This configuration yields an average of 81 FPS, providing a smooth and responsive experience for a game that involves precise timing for harpooning fish and managing oxygen. The jump to Ultra at 1080p reduces the frame rate to 72 FPS, which is still acceptable, but the 9 FPS gain from dropping to High is a worthwhile trade-off for increased stability.

At 1440p, the High preset delivers 61 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced sections. For 1440p, the Medium preset (68 FPS) is a better choice, as it offers a higher frame rate and likely maintains a similar visual experience to High, given the game’s art style. At 4K, all settings are compromised. The Low preset achieves 55 FPS, which is the only playable option. Medium and High dip to 46 and 41 FPS respectively, while Ultra is a slideshow at 36 FPS.

The data suggests a clear hierarchy: 1080p High is the "best experience" for balance, 1440p Medium is the "acceptable compromise" for higher resolution, and 4K Low is the "last resort" for those who must use a 4K display. The measured minimum FPS values at Medium settings (77 FPS at 1080p, 58 FPS at 1440p, and 39 FPS at 4K) show that even the average frame rates can dip significantly, reinforcing the recommendation to prefer lower settings to maintain a stable frame rate.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The full dataset for this combo is as follows:

• 3840x2160 (4K): Ultra averages 36 FPS. High averages 41 FPS. Medium averages 46 FPS, with a minimum of 39 FPS and a maximum of 53 FPS. Low averages 55 FPS.
• 2560x1440 (1440p): Ultra averages 54 FPS. High averages 61 FPS. Medium averages 68 FPS, with a minimum of 58 FPS and a maximum of 78 FPS. Low averages 82 FPS.
• 1920x1080 (1080p): Ultra averages 72 FPS. High averages 81 FPS. Medium averages 91 FPS, with a minimum of 77 FPS and a maximum of 104 FPS. Low averages 108 FPS.

These numbers paint a consistent picture. The 1080p resolution is the only one where the combo can achieve a solid 60+ FPS across all settings. The Medium preset at 1080p is particularly impressive, with an average of 91 FPS and a minimum of 77 FPS, indicating that the game is well-optimized for this hardware at this resolution. The data for 1440p shows that only Low (82 FPS) and Medium (68 FPS) can break the 60 FPS barrier, while High and Ultra fall short.

At 4K, the system is clearly out of its depth. Even the Low preset, which averages 55 FPS, is hovering near the edge of playability, and the minimum FPS data for Medium suggests that stutters are common. The measured maximum FPS values also decline with resolution, indicating that the GPU’s headroom is exhausted. The 1080p Medium score of 104 FPS maximum is the high-water mark for this combo, while the 4K Ultra average of 36 FPS is the low point.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.20 GHz. Its multi-threaded performance is strong, as evidenced by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 16,429 and a PassMark multi-thread score of 19,330. This level of performance is more than sufficient for Dave The Diver, which is not a heavily threaded title. The CPU’s single-thread score of 2,319 in Cinebench R23 is also adequate for the game’s logic and physics.

In this test, the CPU’s role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and handle game state updates. The data shows that it does this without becoming a bottleneck. The FPS scaling is directly tied to the GPU’s resolution workload, which would not happen if the CPU were struggling to keep up. The Ryzen 5 5500’s 16 MB of L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support provide enough bandwidth for the system-shared GPU memory, although this is a shared resource that can be a limiting factor in some scenarios.

The CPU’s nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i7-10700F (0.5% faster) and the AMD Ryzen AI 5 430 (0.1% slower), show that the Ryzen 5 5500 is competitively positioned in the CPU market. However, in this combo, the CPU’s potential is unrealized. The Arc B390 is the weak link, and the Ryzen 5 5500 is left waiting for the GPU to finish its work. The data implies that this CPU could easily support a much more powerful discrete GPU, making it a poor match for the integrated Arc B390 in a gaming scenario.