Dave The Diver

Dave The Diver, an adventure title, shows a clear performance profile for the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D paired with the Intel Arc B570. The measured data reveals a system that scales predictably with resolution and settings, with the most significant bottleneck shifting from the GPU to the CPU as resolution decreases. This analysis breaks down the measured frame rates to identify where this combination excels and where it falls short relative to other tested configurations.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial and reveals the GPU-bound nature of this title at higher resolutions. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 124 at 1920x1080 to 94 at 2560x1440, a 24.2% reduction, and then further to 63 at 3840x2160, a 33% drop from the 1440p figure. This scaling behavior is typical for a game where the rendering load increases significantly with pixel count, placing the Intel Arc B570 under increasing stress.

The data indicates that at 4K, the GPU is the primary limiting factor. The difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 3840x2160 is 29 FPS (84 vs 55), which is a substantial 52.7% performance swing. This wide gap suggests that the GPU's compute and memory resources are heavily taxed by the higher resolution, and adjusting settings has a direct and significant impact. The pixel rate of 200.0 GPixel/s and texture rate of 360.0 GTexel/s of the Arc B570 are being pushed to their limits, as evidenced by the 4K results hovering near the 60 FPS target on High settings.

Conversely, at 1920x1080, the scaling pattern changes. The performance difference between Low and Ultra is only 57 FPS (167 vs 110), which is a smaller percentage gap than at 4K. This suggests that the CPU, the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D, begins to play a more significant role in limiting performance at lower resolutions. The CPU's high single-thread performance, evidenced by a Geekbench single-core score of 2964 and a Passmark single-thread score of 4430, appears to be a key enabler for achieving the high frame rates seen at 1080p. However, the data shows that even this powerful CPU cannot fully compensate for the GPU's limitations, as the frame rate still scales noticeably with settings.

The transition from 1440p to 4K is the most punishing, with a 33% performance hit on High settings. This indicates that the Arc B570's 10 GB of GDDR6 memory and 380.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for 1440p but become a constraining factor at 4K. The data suggests that users aiming for a consistent 60+ FPS experience should target 2560x1440, where the GPU can maintain a comfortable margin above that threshold on most presets.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570, based on the Xe2-HPG architecture, is the central component in determining frame rates at higher resolutions. Its 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus provides a memory bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s, which is adequate for the textures and assets in Dave The Diver. The benchmark results show that the GPU's performance is consistent with its overall standing, as it holds an average benchmark score of 20556 and ranks in the 65th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile and the Intel Arc A750, have nearly identical average scores, with delta percentages of 0.1% and -0.1% respectively, indicating that this GPU is positioned in a very competitive mid-range performance tier.

The GPU's clock speeds are a notable point of interest. Both the base and boost clocks are listed as 2500 MHz, which is a relatively high operating frequency. This fixed clock speed suggests that the GPU runs at its maximum rated speed consistently, which helps it achieve the measured frame rates. The FP32 compute performance of 11.52 TFLOPS is a relevant metric for this game, as it determines the raw shader processing capability. The data confirms that this compute power is sufficient for smooth gameplay at 1080p and 1440p, but it is the primary bottleneck at 4K, where the average FPS on the Ultra preset drops to 55.

The memory configuration also plays a role. With 10 GB of VRAM, the GPU does not appear to be running out of memory in this title, as the frame rates scale linearly with settings rather than collapsing due to memory paging. The 160-bit bus width, while narrower than some competitors, is paired with high-speed GDDR6 memory to achieve a respectable 380.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This bandwidth is sufficient to feed the 2304 shading units and 144 TMUs at resolutions up to 1440p, but the 4K results suggest that the bandwidth or compute capacity is insufficient to maintain high frame rates at that pixel density.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average frame rate achievable with this CPU-GPU combo?

A: At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the measured average FPS is 167, which is the highest value recorded in the data.

Q: Can this combination run Dave The Diver at 4K with a smooth experience?

A: The data shows that at 3840x2160, the average FPS is 63 on High settings and 55 on Ultra. These results are playable but may not be ideal for users seeking consistently high refresh rates at 4K.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B570's performance compare to its closest rivals?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score is 20556. Its nearest rival, the Intel Arc A750, has an average score of 20582, which is a 0.1% difference. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile scores 20534, a 0.1% difference, showing they are statistically tied in performance.

Q: What is the performance impact of switching from High to Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the average FPS drops from 94 on High settings to 83 on Ultra settings, a reduction of 11 FPS or approximately 11.7%.

Q: Is the CPU a limiting factor at 1080p?

A: The data suggests it is less of a bottleneck than the GPU. At 1920x1080, the frame rate scales significantly with settings (167 FPS on Low to 110 FPS on Ultra), indicating the GPU is still the primary performance driver, but the high CPU scores (e.g., 23230 in Cinebench R23 multicore) help sustain high frame rates.

Q: Which preset provides the most consistent frame pacing?

A: The Medium preset is the only one with recorded minimum and maximum FPS values. At 1920x1080, it has a minimum of 118 FPS and a maximum of 160 FPS, showing a 42 FPS variance. At 2560x1440, the variance is 32 FPS (89 to 121).

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the Medium preset offers the most balanced experience across all resolutions. At 1920x1080, it delivers an average of 139 FPS, which is only 28 FPS lower than the Low preset but provides a significant visual upgrade. The frame pacing data also shows this preset has a consistent range, with a minimum of 118 FPS and a maximum of 160 FPS, suggesting a stable experience without major dips.

For users with 1440p monitors, the Medium preset is again the recommended choice. It achieves an average of 105 FPS, which is 20 FPS higher than the High preset and provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS. The minimum FPS of 89 indicates that even in demanding scenes, the performance remains smooth. The High preset at 1440p is also a viable option, with a 94 FPS average, but the Medium preset offers a more substantial performance buffer for potentially less visual difference in this art style.

At 4K, the choice is more constrained. The High preset achieves an average of 63 FPS, which is technically playable but leaves little headroom for demanding scenes. The Medium preset provides a better safety margin with a 70 FPS average and a recorded minimum of 60 FPS, ensuring a more consistent experience. The Ultra preset at 4K, with a 55 FPS average, is not recommended for those seeking smooth gameplay, as it falls below the 60 FPS threshold. The Low preset at 4K offers an 84 FPS average, but the visual compromise is likely too significant for most users. Therefore, the Medium preset is the sweet spot for 4K, balancing visual quality with a playable and consistent frame rate.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D and Intel Arc B570 combination holds a rank of 2282 out of 2867 tested combos in Dave The Diver. This places it in the lower half of all configurations, which is a direct result of the GPU's mid-range performance tier. While the CPU is exceptionally powerful, ranking in the 87th percentile of all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 39768, the GPU's 65th percentile ranking and average score of 20556 serve to limit the overall system's performance in this game.

The CPU's nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 7 7700 with an average score of 40081 (a -0.8% delta) and the AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 with a score of 40048 (-0.7% delta), demonstrate that the 9800X3D is statistically tied with other high-end processors. However, this processing power is underutilized in Dave The Diver at higher resolutions, where the GPU becomes the limiting factor. The combo's rank reflects this imbalance.

The GPU's nearest rivals, including the Intel Arc A750 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile, have nearly identical average benchmark scores. This means that swapping the Arc B570 for either of these GPUs would likely result in very similar in-game performance, as the delta is within 0.1%. The combo's rank of 2282 suggests that while it is capable of running the game, it is outclassed by a significant number of other configurations, likely those featuring higher-tier GPUs that can push higher frame rates, especially at 1440p and 4K.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the performance is robust across all settings. The Low preset yields an average of 167 FPS, while Medium produces 139 FPS with a minimum of 118 and a maximum of 160. High settings achieve 124 FPS, and Ultra drops to 110 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 57 FPS, indicating that the GPU has sufficient headroom at this resolution to allow for significant visual upgrades.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates decrease as expected. Low settings deliver an average of 125 FPS. The Medium preset provides 105 FPS on average, with a minimum of 89 and a maximum of 121 FPS. High settings reach 94 FPS, and the Ultra preset produces 83 FPS. The performance gap between Low and Ultra is 42 FPS, showing that the GPU is becoming more stressed at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly the dominant bottleneck. The Low preset averages 84 FPS, which is a significant drop from the 125 FPS seen at 1440p. Medium settings fall to 70 FPS, with a minimum of 60 and a maximum of 81 FPS. High settings achieve 63 FPS, while the Ultra preset drops to 55 FPS. The total performance swing from Low to Ultra at 4K is 29 FPS, highlighting the GPU's limited capacity to handle the increased pixel count and graphical load at this resolution.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D is a high-end desktop processor with 8 cores and 16 threads, based on the Zen 5 architecture. Its 96 MB of shared L3 cache and high boost clock of 5.20 GHz contribute to its exceptional performance in CPU-bound scenarios. The benchmark data shows it scores 23230 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 2080 in single-core, with a Passmark multithread score of 40009. This processing power ensures that it does not bottleneck the GPU in most gaming scenarios.

In Dave The Diver, the CPU's role is to handle game logic, physics, and asset streaming. The data suggests that at 1080p, the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU enough data to achieve high frame rates, as evidenced by the 167 FPS average on Low settings. However, the scaling of frame rates with settings at 1080p indicates that the GPU is still the primary performance limiter, even at this relatively low resolution. The CPU's high single-thread performance, with a Passmark single-thread score of 4430, is particularly relevant for a game like this, which may rely on a few heavily loaded threads.

The CPU's percentile ranking of 87 and its average benchmark score of 39768 place it in the upper echelon of processors. Its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840HS with a score of 39603 (0.4% delta), show that it is well-matched with other top-tier CPUs. This raw processing power means that the CPU is unlikely to be a source of frame rate drops or stuttering in this game. The system's overall performance is instead dictated by the GPU's capabilities, particularly at resolutions above 1080p. The CPU provides a stable and high-performance foundation, but the measured data confirms that the Intel Arc B570 is the limiting component in this pairing.