Dave The Diver

Dave the Diver is a surprisingly demanding title for low-power integrated graphics, and the combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D and Intel Arc B370 produces a playable, though constrained, experience. The data shows a system that is heavily limited by its GPU, with frame rates that scale predictably with resolution and settings, but which struggles to maintain high refresh rates even at 1080p. This analysis breaks down the measured performance, component roles, and practical settings for this specific hardware pairing.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K clearly identifies the Intel Arc B370 as the primary bottleneck in this system. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 98 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low drops that average to 74 FPS, a 24.5% reduction, and at 4K Low, the average falls to 49 FPS, a 50% reduction from the 1080p baseline. This scaling pattern is characteristic of a GPU that is running out of pixel throughput and memory bandwidth, not a CPU limitation.

The trend holds across all settings. At High settings, the averages are 73 FPS at 1080p, 55 FPS at 1440p, and 37 FPS at 4K. The gap between 1080p and 4K at High settings is 36 FPS, or roughly a 49.3% performance loss. Interestingly, the relative performance drop from 1440p to 4K is consistent, but the absolute numbers become too low for comfortable play at the higher resolution. The data suggests that 4K is not a viable target for this combination, regardless of the quality preset, as even the Low preset cannot maintain a 60 FPS average.

The scaling pattern indicates that the CPU, the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D, is not a limiting factor in this game. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see a smaller performance delta between resolutions, as the CPU workload would remain constant while the GPU workload increased. Instead, the frame rate drops proportionally with the increase in pixel count, pointing squarely at the integrated GPU's rendering capabilities as the ceiling for performance. The jump from 1080p to 1440p is particularly telling, with a 23 FPS drop at Low settings, showing that even a modest resolution increase overwhelms the Arc B370.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is an integrated graphics processor based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, running on a 3 nm process. Its performance profile is extremely modest, as evidenced by its 5th percentile ranking among all GPUs. The GPU's clock speeds are listed with a base of 300 MHz and a boost of 2400 MHz, but its memory configuration is "System Shared," meaning it relies on the system's main DDR5 memory rather than dedicated VRAM. This shared memory setup is a critical factor, as the bandwidth is "System Dependent," which often limits performance in memory-intensive scenarios.

In Dave the Diver, the GPU's limitations are visible in the measured frames. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 benchmark score for the Arc B370 is 1184, placing it in the same performance tier as older discrete cards like the ATI Radeon HD 5770, which scores 1190, and the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570, which scores 1186. This context explains why the GPU struggles to push high frame rates; it is fundamentally a low-power solution designed for basic tasks, not demanding gaming. The GPU's shading units (1280) and texture units (40) are sufficient for 1080p gaming at low settings, but the 20 ROPs and the system-shared memory bandwidth bottleneck pixel fill rate and data throughput.

The data shows that the GPU's performance ceiling is reached quickly. At 1080p Ultra, the average FPS drops to 65, and at 4K Ultra, it plummets to 33 FPS. This is not a case of the CPU holding the GPU back; rather, the Arc B370 is simply outmatched by the game's rendering requirements at higher resolutions and quality settings. The fact that the GPU has a TDP of only 25 W and is classified as an IGP reinforces that it is not designed for high-end gaming, and the benchmark results confirm this, showing a consistent inability to maintain 60 FPS at 1440p and above, even on Low settings.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience for this combo is at 1080p with Low settings, which yields an average of 98 FPS. This is the only configuration that provides a frame rate comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold, ensuring smooth gameplay. The Low preset at 1440p also offers a playable average of 74 FPS, but the 1080p Low setting provides a larger margin for error in more demanding scenes.

For users with a 1440p monitor, the Medium preset is a viable option, delivering an average of 62 FPS. However, the minimum FPS for this setting is 52, which suggests that there may be occasional stutters during intense moments. To ensure a more consistent experience, the Low preset at 1440p is the safer choice, as it provides a higher average and likely better frame pacing. The High and Ultra presets at 1440p are not recommended, as they drop the average below 60 FPS, which is generally considered the minimum for a good gaming experience.

At 4K, no settings preset is recommended, as even the Low preset only manages an average of 49 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K is effectively unplayable at 33 FPS. For this hardware, the data strongly suggests that users should stick to 1080p for the best balance of visual quality and performance. If a higher resolution is desired, dropping to the Low preset is the only way to achieve a playable frame rate, but the trade-off in visual fidelity is significant. The Medium preset at 1080p, with an average of 82 FPS, is a good middle ground for those who want slightly better visuals without sacrificing too much performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete set of measured frame rates provides a clear picture of the system's capabilities. At 1920x1080, the combo achieves its best results. The Low preset leads with an average of 98 FPS, followed by Medium at 82 FPS, High at 73 FPS, and Ultra at 65 FPS. The Medium preset has a reported minimum of 70 FPS and a maximum of 94 FPS, indicating a reasonably stable frame rate. The 1080p results show a 33 FPS difference between Low and Ultra, demonstrating the GPU's sensitivity to graphical effects.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance drops significantly. The Low preset averages 74 FPS, which is still playable, but the Medium preset averages 62 FPS with a minimum of 52 FPS and a maximum of 71 FPS. The High preset averages 55 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 49 FPS. The data shows a consistent pattern where each step up in settings costs roughly 10-15 FPS at this resolution, making the Ultra preset unsuitable for smooth gameplay.

At 3840x2160, the system is heavily taxed. The Low preset averages 49 FPS, the Medium preset averages 41 FPS (with a minimum of 35 and maximum of 47), the High preset averages 37 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 33 FPS. None of these averages reach the 60 FPS mark, and the minimum FPS for the Medium preset dips into the low 30s, which would result in noticeable stuttering. The 4K data confirms that this resolution is beyond the capabilities of the Intel Arc B370, regardless of the settings chosen.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Dave the Diver, this pairing of the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D and Intel Arc B370 ranks 2642 out of 2867 combos. This places it in the bottom 8% of all tested systems, which is consistent with the GPU's low performance percentile. The combo's rank is a direct consequence of the GPU's limitations, as the CPU is a high-end part that would perform much better with a more powerful discrete graphics card.

The CPU's benchmark scores are exceptional, with an average benchmark score of 54762, placing it in the 91st percentile of all CPUs. However, this raw processing power is irrelevant to the gaming performance in this specific test, as the GPU becomes the limiting factor at all resolutions and settings. The combo's low rank in the game is not a reflection of the CPU but rather proof of the fact that the integrated GPU is not designed for this type of workload. The nearest CPU rivals, such as the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF, have similar average scores, but the GPU remains the bottleneck.

The data shows a stark mismatch between the CPU and GPU capabilities. The Ryzen 9 9900X3D is a 12-core, 24-thread processor with a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, capable of handling any modern game's CPU requirements. But in this pairing, its potential is wasted because the Arc B370 cannot deliver enough frames to take advantage of the CPU's speed. This results in a system that ranks poorly in the game's benchmark, despite having a top-tier processor.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D plays a minimal role in determining the frame rates in Dave the Diver, as the game is clearly GPU-bound in this configuration. The CPU's specifications are impressive, with 12 cores and 24 threads based on the Zen 5 architecture, running at a base clock of 4.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. It also features a large 128 MB L3 cache, which is beneficial for gaming, but this advantage cannot be used when the GPU is the limiting factor.

The CPU's benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 47737 and a Geekbench single-core score of 3041, show it is a powerhouse for compute-heavy tasks. However, in this game, the CPU is likely idle much of the time, waiting for the GPU to render frames. The fact that the frame rates scale so dramatically with resolution and settings, without any signs of CPU stuttering or bottlenecking, confirms that the Ryzen 9 9900X3D is not the performance constraint.

Instead, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with data, a task it can perform with ease. The system's memory bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s is shared with the GPU, but this is unlikely to be a significant issue given the GPU's low overall throughput. The data suggests that if a user were to pair this CPU with a discrete GPU, they would see a massive improvement in frame rates, as the CPU has more than enough headroom to support a much faster graphics card. In this specific combo, the CPU is a spectator, its performance potential untapped.