Dave The Diver

Dave The Diver is a deceptively demanding title for lower-tier integrated graphics, and the pairing of an AMD Ryzen 5 7600X with the Intel Arc B370 illustrates a classic bottleneck scenario. The Arc B370 is an integrated GPU (IGP) with a 25 W TDP, and the data shows that this combo struggles to maintain high frame rates at higher resolutions, even though the CPU itself is highly capable. The benchmark results indicate a system where the graphical processing unit, not the processor, is the definitive limiting factor, making resolution scaling the primary determinant of playability.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a steep performance cliff as resolution increases, confirming that the Intel Arc B370 is the bottleneck. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 98 FPS on average, which is the highest score recorded across all tested configurations. This suggests that at this resolution, the CPU is still able to feed the GPU enough data to keep it busy, though the GPU is working near its limits. Moving up to 1440p Low, the average FPS drops to 74, a significant 24 FPS reduction. This is a 24.5% performance loss from the 1080p figure, indicating that the GPU is beginning to struggle with the increased pixel count.

The trend becomes more pronounced at 4K. At 3840x2160 with Low settings, the average FPS plummets to 49, which is a 50% reduction from the 1080p Low result. This dramatic drop is a clear indicator that the Arc B370's shading units, TMUs, and ROPs are overwhelmed by the sheer number of pixels required at 4K. The scaling from 1080p to 4K at Low settings shows a loss of 49 FPS, which is a far larger absolute drop than what would be expected from a system where the CPU was the primary constraint.

For more demanding presets, the situation is worse. At 4K Ultra, the combo only manages an average of 33 FPS, making it effectively unplayable for a smooth experience. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is only 16 FPS (49 to 33), which is surprisingly small. This small delta suggests that the GPU is so saturated at 4K that even lowering the graphical fidelity does not provide a proportional performance benefit; the pixel fill rate is the hard limit. In contrast, at 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 33 FPS (98 to 65), showing that the GPU has more headroom to benefit from reduced settings.

The data also shows a clear pattern in the Medium preset, which includes min and max FPS readings. At 1080p Medium, the average is 82 FPS with a min of 70 and a max of 94. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 62 FPS, with a min of 52 and a max of 71. The min FPS values are particularly telling; they represent the worst-case frame times, and a drop from 70 to 52 indicates that the experience becomes less consistent as resolution increases. This inconsistency is a classic symptom of a GPU that is running out of memory bandwidth or processing power, as it struggles to maintain a stable frame output under load.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is the clear limiting component in this configuration. Its specs paint a picture of a low-power integrated solution. It has a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2400 MHz, but it relies on "System Shared" memory, meaning it uses a portion of the system's DDR5 RAM for its frame buffer. The memory bandwidth is listed as "System Dependent," which in practice is often a bottleneck for integrated graphics, as it is slower than dedicated VRAM. This shared memory architecture is a primary reason for the significant performance drop at higher resolutions, where the demand for memory bandwidth increases exponentially.

The GPU has 1280 shading units, 40 TMUs, and 20 ROPs. Its pixel rate is 48.00 GPixel/s and its texture rate is 96.00 GTexel/s. These are modest figures, and the benchmark results reflect them. The GPU's average benchmark score is 1184 in the 3dmark_steel_nomad_dx12 test, which puts it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs. This is an extremely low ranking, indicating it is only faster than 5% of all other GPUs tested. Its nearest rivals in the benchmark database include the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570, which scores 1186 (a delta of -0.2%), and the ATI Radeon HD 5770, which scores 1190 (a delta of -0.5%). These are all older, low-end parts, confirming the Arc B370's position at the bottom of the performance spectrum.

The GPU's FP32 performance is listed at 6.144 TFLOPS, which is low for modern gaming. The data shows that at 4K High, the combo only achieves 37 FPS, and at 4K Ultra it falls to 33 FPS. This indicates that the GPU's raw compute power is insufficient for the demands of Dave The Diver at high resolutions. The fact that it is an IGP with a 25 W TDP also suggests that it is thermally and power-constrained, preventing it from sustaining high clock speeds under load. The boost clock of 2400 MHz is respectable on paper, but the system's shared memory and low transistor budget severely limit its real-world gaming performance. The GPU is not just a minor bottleneck; it is the sole reason the system cannot achieve playable frame rates at 4K.

CPU Role

In stark contrast to the GPU, the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X is a formidable processor that is not the limiting factor in this game. It is a 6-core, 12-thread CPU based on the Zen 4 architecture, with a base clock of 4.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. It has 32 MB of shared L3 cache and supports dual-channel DDR5 memory with a bandwidth of 83.2 GB/s. Its benchmark scores are excellent; for example, it scores 15236 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 1965 in single-core. It has an average benchmark score of 27636, placing it in the 79th percentile of all CPUs.

The CPU's nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 5700X and Intel Core i5-12600K, both of which have an average score of 27578, putting the 7600X just 0.2% ahead. It is also slightly ahead of the AMD Ryzen 7 5800 (27535) by 0.4%. This indicates that the 7600X is a high-performing, modern CPU that is capable of handling even demanding titles. In Dave The Diver, the CPU's role is to process game logic and feed the GPU with draw calls. Given that the GPU is so weak, the CPU is likely idling, waiting for the GPU to catch up.

The evidence for this is in the frame rates. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would see similar FPS across different resolutions, as the CPU's workload would be the same regardless of pixel count. However, the data shows a massive change in FPS from 1080p to 4K, which is a classic sign of a GPU bottleneck. The CPU's high single-thread performance, as evidenced by its 1965 Cinebench R23 score, ensures it is not holding back the GPU even at 1080p Low, where the 98 FPS result represents the peak of what the GPU can output. The Ryzen 5 7600X is simply too powerful for the Arc B370, and its capabilities are wasted in this configuration. The processor's 6 cores and 12 threads are more than sufficient for this adventure game, but they cannot compensate for the GPU's lack of fill rate and memory bandwidth.

How This Combo Ranks

The overall ranking for this combination in Dave The Diver is 2642 out of 2867 tested combos. This places it in the bottom 8% of all systems tested, which is a very poor result. This low ranking is almost entirely due to the Intel Arc B370's abysmal performance, which is in the 5th percentile of all GPUs. The CPU's strong performance, in the 79th percentile, cannot rescue the overall experience. The combo rank is a holistic measure of the system's gaming performance, and it is dragged down by the weakest link.

The data shows that this combo is a stark example of an unbalanced pairing. The Ryzen 5 7600X is a modern, high-end desktop CPU, while the Arc B370 is a low-power integrated graphics solution designed for portable devices. The combination is not typical of a desktop gaming rig, and the benchmark results reflect this mismatch. The rank of 2642 indicates that users with this setup will have a subpar experience in Dave The Diver, especially at higher resolutions. It performs worse than the vast majority of other tested combinations, including those with older dedicated GPUs.

The delta between the CPU's high percentile and the GPU's low percentile is the core issue. A user with this combo would be better served by any dedicated graphics card, even a low-end one, as the CPU has the headroom to support a much more powerful GPU. The benchmark results indicate that the combo's performance is capped by the GPU's 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1184, which is its sole benchmark. This score is lower than its nearest rivals, such as the ATI Radeon HD 5770, which scores 1190. In a practical sense, this means the system will struggle with any modern game, not just Dave The Diver, due to the GPU's limitations.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend heavily on the user's resolution and tolerance for frame rate fluctuations. For a 1080p display, the High preset is the best recommendation. It achieves an average of 73 FPS, which is above the generally accepted 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. While the Low preset offers a higher 98 FPS, the jump to High provides a significant visual improvement for a relatively small performance cost (25 FPS). The Medium preset offers a middle ground at 82 FPS, but High is a better choice if visual fidelity is a priority, as it still maintains a playable frame rate.

For 1440p, the situation is more constrained. The High preset drops to 55 FPS, which is just below the 60 FPS mark. The Medium preset offers 62 FPS, which is a better option for maintaining smoother motion. Given that the Low preset only yields 74 FPS, and the visual difference between Low and Medium is typically more noticeable than between Medium and High, the Medium preset is the recommended choice for 1440p. It provides a balance between visual quality and performance, with a min FPS of 52, which is acceptable for a slower-paced adventure game.

At 4K, no preset provides a truly smooth experience. The High preset only manages 37 FPS, and the Medium preset is not much better at 41 FPS. The Low preset offers 49 FPS, which is the highest at this resolution, but it is still below the 60 FPS target. Given the massive performance drop from 1440p to 4K, it is advisable to avoid 4K altogether with this combo. If a user must play at 4K, the Low preset is the only viable option for achieving a relatively playable frame rate, but users should expect a suboptimal experience. The Ultra preset is entirely unsuitable, with a minimum of 33 FPS at 4K.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Dave The Diver at 60 FPS?

A: Yes, but only at 1080p resolution. The measured data shows an average of 73 FPS at 1080p High and 82 FPS at 1080p Medium. At 1440p, the maximum average FPS is 74 on Low, which is not a guaranteed 60 FPS experience, while at 4K, no preset reaches 60 FPS.

Q: What is the main performance bottleneck in this system?

A: The Intel Arc B370 GPU. Its low 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1184 and 5th percentile ranking, combined with its "System Shared" memory architecture, make it the limiting factor. The CPU is in the 79th percentile and is not the cause of the low frame rates.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B370 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Arc B370 scores 1184 in the 3dmark_steel_nomad_dx12 test. This is nearly identical to the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (1186, a -0.2% delta) and the ATI Radeon HD 5770 (1190, a -0.5% delta). It is slightly ahead of the AMD FirePro M2000 (1168, a 1.4% delta).

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X a good match for the Intel Arc B370?

A: No, it is a highly unbalanced pairing. The CPU is in the 79th percentile of all CPUs, with an average score of 27636, while the GPU is in the 5th percentile. The CPU's performance is wasted because it cannot fully utilize its power with such a weak GPU.

Q: What is the best settings preset for this combo at 1440p?

A: The Medium preset is recommended. It provides an average of 62 FPS, which is higher than the High preset's 55 FPS. The Low preset offers 74 FPS, but the visual quality trade-off is significant, making Medium the best balance for 1440p.

Q: How does this system rank overall in the benchmark database?

A: It ranks 2642 out of 2867 tested combos for Dave The Diver, placing it in the bottom 8% of all systems. This low rank is due to the GPU's poor performance, which outweighs the CPU's strong showing.