Dave The Diver

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

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X is an 8-core, 16-thread desktop processor built on TSMC's 7 nm process with the Zen 2 (Matisse) architecture. It operates with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, drawing a 65 W TDP. The chip carries 64 KB of L1 cache per core, 512 KB of L2 per core, and a 32 MB L3 cache, with dual-channel DDR4 memory support providing 51.2 GB/s of bandwidth. The processor integrates 24 PCIe Gen 4 lanes and is unlocked for overclocking.

In the measured frame rates for Dave The Diver, the CPU's role is best understood through the game's overall performance pattern. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo reaches 108 FPS average, which is the highest measured value across all configurations. This suggests the processor is capable of feeding the integrated graphics sufficiently at lower resolutions. However, as resolution increases, the frame rate drops sharply, indicating the GPU becomes the dominant constraint. The CPU's single-thread performance, as shown by a Geekbench single-core score of 1593 and a Cinebench R15 single-core score of 204, is adequate for the game's logic and physics at these frame rates. The multi-threaded capability, with a Geekbench multicore score of 8899 and a Cinebench R15 multicore score of 2092, provides ample headroom for background tasks.

The Ryzen 7 3700X's Passmark single-thread score of 2656 and Passmark physics score of 1181 indicate modest per-core throughput, but Dave The Diver is not a CPU-heavy title in this configuration. The data shows that even at 4K Ultra, where the average FPS drops to 36, the CPU is not the bottleneck; rather, the integrated graphics' limited pixel throughput is the limiting factor. The CPU's 84th percentile ranking among all CPUs (via avgBenchmarkScore of 34260) places it well above typical gaming processors, and its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 (0.1% faster), AMD EPYC 4244P (0.1% faster), Intel Core i5-13450HX (0.2% slower), and Intel Core Ultra 7 165H (0.5% faster). These margins are negligible, confirming the 3700X sits in a strong performance tier for this game's CPU demands.

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

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on Intel's 3 nm process with the Panther Lake chip. It has a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz, with system-shared memory—meaning no dedicated VRAM, as the memory type, bus width, and bandwidth are all system dependent. The GPU contains 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 ROPs, along with 12 ray tracing cores. Its compute capabilities include 7.680 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 15.36 TFLOPS of FP16 (2:1 ratio), with a pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s. The TDP is 80 W, and it supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

The Arc B390's benchmark results are remarkably modest for a 2026-era part. Its only recorded 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 1482, placing it in the 9th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are ancient low-end discrete GPUs: the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1.3% faster), GeForce 800M (1.5% faster), GeForce GT 625 OEM (2.5% faster), and GeForce GT 710 (2.7% faster). This context is critical for interpreting the game's measured FPS. The integrated GPU's 24 ROPs and 60 GPixel/s pixel rate explain why 4K resolution (3840x2160) yields average FPS between 36 (Ultra) and 55 (Low). The system-shared memory, with bandwidth dependent on the platform, further constrains performance at high resolutions where memory bandwidth demands increase.

The GPU's role in Dave The Diver is the primary limiter. At 1080p Low, the 108 FPS average demonstrates the IGP can handle the game at lower loads, but the scaling curve shows severe degradation with resolution. The absence of dedicated VRAM means the Arc B390 must share system memory bandwidth with the CPU, which is a known bottleneck for integrated graphics. The 12 RT cores are unused in this title, as Dave The Diver does not rely on ray tracing. The GPU's 9th percentile ranking, with rivals like the GT 710, establishes it as an entry-level solution that requires conservative settings for playable frame rates.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X and Intel Arc B390 ranks 2538th out of 2867 tested combos in Dave The Diver, placing it in the bottom 12% of all system configurations. This rank is driven almost entirely by the GPU's low performance ceiling—the CPU is not the limiting factor. The combo's position reflects that most other tested systems include discrete GPUs or more powerful integrated solutions.

The rank indicates that this pairing is suitable for low-to-medium settings at 1080p, but struggles beyond that. The data shows the combo achieves 108 FPS at 1080p Low, which is playable, but drops to 72 FPS at 1080p Ultra. At 1440p, the average FPS ranges from 82 (Low) to 54 (Ultra), and at 4K, it falls to 55 (Low) and 36 (Ultra). These numbers are consistent with the GPU's 9th percentile performance, as the Arc B390's nearest rivals (GT 520MX, GeForce 800M, GT 625 OEM, GT 710) are all legacy parts that would struggle with modern games at high resolutions.

The combo rank of 2538/2867 suggests that roughly 88% of tested configurations outperform this pairing in Dave The Diver. This is expected given the integrated GPU's positioning. However, the rank also implies that 329 combos score lower, meaning the system is not the absolute worst—it can still deliver acceptable frame rates at 1080p with reduced settings. The CPU's 84th percentile ranking provides a strong foundation, but the GPU's 9th percentile effectively caps the system's gaming potential. For comparison, if the CPU were paired with even a mid-range discrete GPU, the combo rank would likely improve dramatically, as the 3700X's compute performance (evidenced by Passmark multithread score of 22458) is more than sufficient for Dave The Diver's CPU demands.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers the following average FPS across settings: Low 108 FPS, Medium 91 FPS (with min 77 and max 104), High 81 FPS, and Ultra 72 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 36 FPS, representing a 33% performance penalty for the highest preset. The Medium setting shows a 14 FPS drop from Low, while High adds another 10 FPS reduction, and Ultra a further 9 FPS. This pattern indicates that each settings tier imposes a roughly linear cost on the integrated GPU.

At 2560x1440, the average FPS drops to: Low 82 FPS, Medium 68 FPS (min 58, max 78), High 61 FPS, and Ultra 54 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra here is 28 FPS, which is a 34% reduction—similar to the 1080p scaling. From 1080p to 1440p, the same settings show average FPS reductions of 24% (Low: 108 to 82), 25% (Medium: 91 to 68), 25% (High: 81 to 61), and 25% (Ultra: 72 to 54). This consistent ~25% drop indicates the GPU is uniformly limited by pixel throughput.

At 3840x2160, the average FPS falls to: Low 55 FPS, Medium 46 FPS (min 39, max 53), High 41 FPS, and Ultra 36 FPS. The Low-to-Ultra spread is 19 FPS, a 35% reduction. From 1440p to 4K, the drops are 33% (Low: 82 to 55), 32% (Medium: 68 to 46), 33% (High: 61 to 41), and 33% (Ultra: 54 to 36). The 1440p-to-4K penalty is larger than the 1080p-to-1440p penalty, reflecting the quadratic increase in pixel count (1440p has 3.7M pixels, 4K has 8.3M—a 2.25x increase).

The Medium settings at each resolution are the only rows with min/max FPS data, providing insight into frame time consistency. At 1080p Medium, the min of 77 and max of 104 show a 27 FPS variance. At 1440p Medium, min 58 and max 78 yield a 20 FPS spread. At 4K Medium, min 39 and max 53 produce a 14 FPS variance. The decreasing variance at higher resolutions suggests the GPU is more consistently saturated, reducing frame time spikes.

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

From 1080p Low (108 FPS) to 4K Low (55 FPS), the average FPS drops by 49%. From 1080p Medium (91 FPS) to 4K Medium (46 FPS), the drop is also 49%. For High, 1080p (81 FPS) to 4K (41 FPS) is a 49% reduction. Ultra shows the same pattern: 1080p (72 FPS) to 4K (36 FPS) is exactly 50%. This consistent ~50% halving across all settings is the signature of a pixel-bound GPU. If the CPU were the limiter, the FPS would remain more constant as resolution increases, since CPU workload is largely resolution-independent.

The theoretical pixel count increase from 1080p (2.07M pixels) to 4K (8.29M pixels) is 4x, but the FPS only halves. This non-linearity indicates that the Arc B390's 60 GPixel/s pixel rate and 24 ROPs are not the sole bottleneck—memory bandwidth and fill rate also play roles. The system-shared memory bandwidth is listed as "System Dependent," meaning the actual performance depends on the platform's DDR4 memory configuration. The Ryzen 7 3700X's 51.2 GB/s memory bandwidth is shared between CPU and GPU, and at 4K, the GPU's memory access demands increase substantially.

The scaling data strongly suggests the GPU is the limiting component. The CPU's 16 threads and 8 cores provide far more compute than Dave The Diver requires at these frame rates. If the CPU were the constraint, we would expect similar FPS across resolutions at the same settings, but instead we see a consistent 25% drop from 1080p to 1440p and another 33% drop from 1440p to 4K. The fact that the Low preset at 4K (55 FPS) is still lower than the Ultra preset at 1080p (72 FPS) confirms that resolution has a larger impact than settings, which is typical for GPU-bound scenarios.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

For 1080p, the Medium preset at 91 FPS average (min 77, max 104) offers the best balance. The jump from Low (108 FPS) to Medium (91 FPS) costs 17 FPS but provides improved visuals, while High (81 FPS) and Ultra (72 FPS) offer diminishing returns for additional 10 and 9 FPS drops respectively. The Medium preset's min FPS of 77 ensures smooth gameplay without drops below typical 60 FPS thresholds.

At 1440p, the Medium preset delivers 68 FPS average (min 58, max 78), which is playable but close to the 60 FPS line. The Low preset at 82 FPS provides more headroom, but the Medium's min of 58 FPS suggests occasional dips below 60. For users prioritizing smoothness, Low (82 FPS) is recommended; for visual quality with acceptable performance, Medium (68 FPS) is viable. The High (61 FPS) and Ultra (54 FPS) presets at 1440p are borderline, with Ultra falling below 60 FPS average.

At 4K, no preset achieves a consistently smooth experience. The Low preset at 55 FPS average is the only option above 50 FPS, but it still risks dips. The Medium preset at 46 FPS (min 39, max 53) is the highest settings that remains playable in a relaxed manner, but the 39 FPS minimum may cause noticeable stutter. The High (41 FPS) and Ultra (36 FPS) presets are below acceptable thresholds for most users. For 4K, the Low preset (55 FPS) is the only recommendation, and even then, users should expect occasional frame rate drops.

The overall best experience per the measured rows is 1080p Medium, which provides 91 FPS average with a minimum of 77 FPS—offering both high frame rates and visual fidelity. The 1440p Medium preset is a secondary option for users with 1440p displays, but the 58 FPS minimum is a caveat. The 4K resolution is not recommended for this combo, as even Low settings (55 FPS) hover near the edge of playability.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for this system in Dave The Diver?

A: The measured data shows 1080p Medium provides the best experience with 91 FPS average, 77 FPS minimum, and 104 FPS maximum. This combination offers smooth gameplay with a reasonable visual quality uplift over Low.

Q: Can this system run Dave The Diver at 4K?

A: Yes, but only at Low settings (55 FPS average) or Medium (46 FPS average, min 39). The High (41 FPS) and Ultra (36 FPS) presets at 4K fall below desirable frame rates. For 4K, the Low preset is the only practical option.

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

A: The Arc B390 scores 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1.3% faster), GeForce 800M (1.5% faster), GeForce GT 625 OEM (2.5% faster), and GeForce GT 710 (2.7% faster). The GPU ranks in the 9th percentile of all GPUs.

Q: Is the Ryzen 7 3700X a bottleneck for the Arc B390 in this game?

A: No. The CPU's Passmark multithread score of 22458 and Geekbench multicore score of 8899 far exceed the demands of the game at the measured frame rates. The frame rate drops from 1080p to 4K (e.g., 108 to 55 FPS at Low) indicate the GPU is the limiting component.

Q: What is the performance difference between the Medium and Ultra presets at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Medium delivers 68 FPS average (min 58, max 78), while Ultra delivers 54 FPS average. The 14 FPS difference (about 21%) is the cost of the highest preset, but Ultra's 54 FPS average is below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does this combo's rank compare to other tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 2538th out of 2867 tested combos in Dave The Diver, placing it in the bottom 12%. This is primarily due to the Arc B390's 9th percentile GPU performance, while the CPU ranks in the 84th percentile.