Dave The Diver

# Dave The Diver — AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D + Intel Arc B370

The AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D paired with the Intel Arc B370 produces a playable but constrained experience in Dave The Diver. The data shows a system that handles 1080p comfortably across most settings, but struggles to maintain smooth frame rates at 4K. The combination ranks 2642nd out of 2867 tested combos in this game, placing it in the lower tier of configurations. The Intel Arc B370, with its 5th percentile standing among all GPUs, is the clear performance bottleneck, while the 8-core, 16-thread Ryzen 7 9850X3D provides ample processing headroom. Benchmark results indicate that this pairing is best suited for 1080p gaming, with diminishing returns at higher resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

The measured frame rates across all resolution and settings combinations reveal a clear hierarchy. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers 98 FPS average, which is the highest recorded figure for this combo. Medium follows at 82 FPS, High at 73 FPS, and Ultra drops to 65 FPS. The 1080p Low setting is the only configuration that breaches the 90 FPS threshold, making it the best choice for players seeking maximum smoothness. However, the gap between Low and Medium is only 16 FPS, while the jump from Medium to High costs another 9 FPS. The data suggests that Medium at 1080p offers the most balanced experience, delivering 82 FPS while presumably retaining more visual fidelity than Low.

At 2560x1440, the picture changes significantly. Low produces 74 FPS, Medium drops to 62 FPS, High manages 55 FPS, and Ultra falls to 49 FPS. None of these figures reach the 60 FPS threshold that many players consider the baseline for acceptable performance, though Medium and Low come close. For 1440p gaming, the Low preset is the only setting that maintains a comfortable margin above 60 FPS, making it the recommended choice for this resolution. The Ultra preset at 49 FPS is borderline playable but may exhibit noticeable stutter during busy underwater scenes.

At 3840x2160, the results are underwhelming across the board. Low yields 49 FPS, Medium 41 FPS, High 37 FPS, and Ultra just 33 FPS. The minimum frame rates are not recorded for most 4K settings, but the Medium preset shows a minimum of 35 FPS and a maximum of 47 FPS, indicating significant frame time variance. This resolution is not recommended for this combo unless the player accepts sub-30 FPS dips in demanding moments. The data clearly shows that 1080p Medium is the sweet spot for this pairing, offering the best compromise between visual quality and smoothness.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D is a desktop processor from the 9000 series, built on the Zen 5 architecture with the Granite Ridge codename. It features 8 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 4.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. The processor includes 96 MB of shared L3 cache, which is substantial for gaming workloads. Its benchmark scores are impressive: Cinebench R23 multi-core reaches 22,807, while single-core hits 2,228. PassMark multi-thread scores sit at 41,318, and single-thread at 4,704. The processor's 92nd percentile standing among all CPUs indicates it is a high-performing chip.

In Dave The Diver, the CPU's role is largely supportive. The game is not compute-intensive in a way that would stress an 8-core Zen 5 processor. The measured frame rates show that the CPU is never the limiting factor in this combo. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 98 FPS, which is respectable but far from the processor's potential ceiling. The Ryzen 7 9850X3D's nearest rivals in average benchmark score include the Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M (0.1% higher), the Intel Core i9-14900 (0.5% higher), and the Intel Xeon w5-2545 (0.2% lower). These comparisons underscore that the CPU is performing at a level comparable to high-end desktop and server chips.

The 96 MB L3 cache is particularly relevant for gaming, as it allows for larger portions of game data to be stored on-chip, reducing memory latency. However, the data does not indicate that this cache advantage translates into higher frame rates in Dave The Diver, because the GPU is the bottleneck. The processor's 120 TDP and 4 nm process node from TSMC suggest efficient power delivery, but these specifications do not directly influence the game's performance metrics. The CPU's single-thread performance, as evidenced by the Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2,228, would be more critical in CPU-bound scenarios, but this game does not present such a scenario for this pairing.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is an integrated graphics processor based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, with the Panther Lake chip. It operates at a base clock of 300 MHz and boosts up to 2400 MHz. The GPU has 1280 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 20 raster output units, along with 10 ray tracing cores. Its memory is system-shared, meaning it draws from the system's DDR5 memory rather than dedicated VRAM. The theoretical peak performance is 6.144 TFLOPS for FP32 operations, with a pixel rate of 48.00 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 96.00 GTexel/s. The GPU's TDP is just 25 W, and it occupies an integrated form factor with no power connectors required.

The Arc B370's benchmark results are modest. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 1,184, which places it in the 5th percentile among all GPUs. This is a very low standing, indicating that the GPU is not designed for demanding gaming workloads. Its nearest rivals include the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (0.2% higher score), the ATI Radeon HD 5770 (0.5% higher), and the AMD Radeon HD 7650M (0.7% higher), all of which are older or more entry-level parts. This context is crucial for interpreting the Dave The Diver results: the GPU is fundamentally limited in its rendering capability.

The system-shared memory architecture means that memory bandwidth is system dependent, which can introduce performance variability based on the system's memory configuration. The 2400 MHz boost clock is relatively low for a modern GPU, and the 1280 shading units are insufficient for high-resolution rendering. In Dave The Diver, the GPU's limitations are evident at 4K, where even the Low preset only achieves 49 FPS. The GPU is the primary bottleneck in this combo, as evidenced by the steep drop in frame rates as resolution increases. The 25 W TDP also suggests that the GPU is thermally and power constrained, further limiting its performance ceiling.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D and Intel Arc B370 ranks 2642nd out of 2867 tested combos in Dave The Diver. This places the pairing in the bottom 8% of all configurations tested, which is a poor result for a system with such a high-end CPU. The rank reflects the GPU's severe performance limitations rather than any deficiency in the processor. The Ryzen 7 9850X3D's 92nd percentile CPU standing contrasts sharply with the Arc B370's 5th percentile GPU standing, creating a massive imbalance in this pairing.

Compared to other combos, this system's performance is dominated by the GPU's constraints. The rank suggests that most other tested combinations, including those with much weaker CPUs, would outperform this pairing if they are paired with more capable graphics solutions. The data indicates that the combo is particularly unsuited for high-resolution gaming, as the frame rates at 4K are consistently below 50 FPS across all settings. The rank also implies that users with this CPU would benefit significantly from pairing it with a more powerful discrete GPU, as the processor has substantial headroom that is currently untapped.

The combo's position in the rankings is not surprising given the GPU's 5th percentile standing. The Arc B370 is clearly an integrated solution intended for basic graphics tasks, not for gaming at high resolutions. The rank of 2642 out of 2867 should be interpreted as a warning that this pairing is not optimized for Dave The Diver, and users seeking smoother performance at 1440p or 4K would need to consider alternative GPU options.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression from 1080p to 1440p to 4K reveals a clear pattern of GPU-bound scaling. At 1080p High, the system achieves 73 FPS; at 1440p High, it drops to 55 FPS; and at 4K High, it falls to 37 FPS. This represents a 24.7% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 32.7% drop from 1440p to 4K. The total reduction from 1080p to 4K is 49.3%, indicating that the GPU struggles significantly as pixel count increases.

The Low preset shows a similar trend: 98 FPS at 1080p, 74 FPS at 1440p, and 49 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are 24.5% from 1080p to 1440p and 33.8% from 1440p to 4K, for a total reduction of 50%. The Medium preset follows the same pattern with 82 FPS at 1080p, 62 FPS at 1440p, and 41 FPS at 4K, representing a 50% total drop. The Ultra preset drops from 65 FPS at 1080p to 49 FPS at 1440p to 33 FPS at 4K, a 49.2% total reduction.

This consistent ~50% reduction from 1080p to 4K across all settings strongly suggests that the GPU is the limiting component. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the frame rates would remain more constant across resolutions, as the CPU's workload does not scale with pixel count. The fact that frame rates halve as resolution quadruples indicates that the Arc B370's rendering throughput is the primary constraint. The system-shared memory architecture likely compounds this issue, as the GPU must compete with the CPU for memory bandwidth at higher resolutions, further reducing performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured frame rates across presets are as follows: Low delivers 98 FPS average, Medium achieves 82 FPS with a minimum of 70 FPS and maximum of 94 FPS, High produces 73 FPS, and Ultra manages 65 FPS. The 1080p results are the strongest for this combo, with all presets except Ultra staying above 70 FPS. The Medium preset's recorded minimum of 70 FPS indicates that frame pacing is consistent, with no severe dips during gameplay.

At 2560x1440, the performance degrades noticeably. Low reaches 74 FPS, Medium falls to 62 FPS with a minimum of 52 FPS and maximum of 71 FPS, High drops to 55 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 49 FPS. The Medium preset's minimum of 52 FPS suggests that there are moments of noticeable stutter, particularly during scenes with many on-screen elements. The 1440p results are borderline for smooth gameplay, with only Low maintaining a comfortable margin above 60 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the results are marginal at best. Low achieves 49 FPS, Medium manages 41 FPS with a minimum of 35 FPS and maximum of 47 FPS, High produces 37 FPS, and Ultra delivers just 33 FPS. The Medium preset's minimum of 35 FPS indicates that frame rates can dip into the low 30s during demanding moments, which is likely to be distracting in a game that requires precise timing for catching fish and avoiding hazards. The 4K results are not recommended for this combo, as even the Low preset struggles to maintain a consistent 50 FPS. The data shows a clear progression: 1080p is playable, 1440p is borderline, and 4K is not recommended for this pairing.