Dave The Diver

Dave The Diver, a 2023 adventure title, demonstrates a clear performance hierarchy when paired with the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D and Intel Arc B370. The measured FPS data reveals a system where the GPU is the overwhelming bottleneck, with the CPU’s substantial capabilities remaining largely underutilized. This combination ranks 2642nd out of 2867 tested combos for this game, placing it in the lower percentile of system configurations, which aligns with the GPU's low overall benchmark standing.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data shows a predictable and steep decline as resolution increases, confirming that the Intel Arc B370 is the primary limiting component. At 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, the combo produces an average of 65 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same settings, the average drops to 49 FPS, a reduction of 16 FPS or approximately 24.6%. The most significant drop occurs at 3840x2160, where the Ultra preset yields an average of only 33 FPS, which is 32 FPS lower than the 1080p result, representing a 49.2% decrease in performance.

This scaling pattern is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario. The Intel Arc B370, with its 1280 shading units and 20 ROPs, is taxed heavily by the increased pixel count at higher resolutions. The delta between 1080p and 1440p is substantial, but the jump to 4K is particularly punishing, pushing the average FPS below the 35 FPS threshold commonly considered the minimum for playable frame rates. The data indicates that the GPU's fillrate and shading capabilities are exhausted at 4K, regardless of the CPU's ability to feed it data.

Looking at the Low preset, the trend continues. At 1080p Low, the system averages 98 FPS, which is a very playable number. At 1440p Low, this falls to 74 FPS, and at 4K Low, it drops further to 49 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 4K at Low settings shows a 50% performance loss, mirroring the percentage loss seen at Ultra settings. This consistency suggests that the bottleneck is purely resolution-dependent and not significantly influenced by the graphical workload's complexity. The game is not CPU-limited here; the Ryzen 9 9950X3D's 16 cores and 32 threads are far beyond what this title requires, leaving the Arc B370 to struggle with the rendering load alone.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average FPS achievable with this CPU and GPU combination?

A: The highest average FPS recorded across all tested configurations is 98 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset.

Q: Is this combination capable of 60 FPS gameplay at 1440p?

A: Yes, but only with specific settings. The system reaches an average of 62 FPS at 2560x1440 on Medium settings. It also achieves 74 FPS on Low and 55 FPS on High, but the Ultra preset falls short at 49 FPS.

Q: How does the Arc B370's performance compare to its closest rivals in the benchmark database?

A: The Arc B370 has an average benchmark score of 1184 and ranks in the 5th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570, scores 1186, which is a 0.2% difference. Other close rivals include the ATI Radeon HD 5770 with a 0.5% higher score and the AMD Radeon HD 7650M with a 0.7% higher score.

Q: Which settings preset provides the most balanced experience at 1080p?

A: The Medium preset at 1920x1080 offers a strong balance, delivering an average of 82 FPS with a minimum of 70 FPS and a maximum of 94 FPS. This provides a smooth experience with better visual fidelity than Low, while maintaining a solid frame rate margin.

Q: What is the performance difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160, the Low preset yields an average of 49 FPS, while the Ultra preset yields 33 FPS. This represents a 16 FPS difference, meaning the Ultra preset is approximately 32.7% slower than Low in terms of average FPS.

Q: Does the Ryzen 9 9950X3D's performance influence the frame rates in this game?

A: The benchmark results indicate that the CPU is not the limiting factor. The FPS scales heavily with resolution and settings, which points to GPU limitation. The CPU's high multi-threaded scores, such as a Cinebench R23 score of 42018, do not translate to higher FPS here because the Arc B370 cannot render frames fast enough to utilize the CPU's full potential.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D is a high-end desktop processor featuring 16 cores and 32 threads based on the Zen 5 architecture. It operates with a base clock of 4.30 GHz and a boost clock of 5.70 GHz. Its substantial L3 cache totals 128 MB. In synthetic benchmarks, it achieves impressive scores, including a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 42018 and a single-core score of 2259. Its average benchmark score is 75779, placing it in the 95th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 9755, scores 75738, a negligible 0.1% difference.

However, in Dave The Diver, this CPU's power is largely irrelevant to the measured FPS. The game is not CPU-intensive; it does not require the massive multi-threading capabilities this processor offers. The data shows that FPS is almost entirely dictated by the GPU and resolution settings. For instance, halving the resolution from 4K to 1080p at Ultra settings more than doubles the average FPS, from 33 to 65. This is a classic sign of a GPU bottleneck. The CPU is capable of calculating game logic and draw calls far faster than the Arc B370 can render the frames, leaving the CPU idle waiting on the GPU. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 16374 and the max-thread score of 17184 show a processor that excels in parallel workloads, but this game does not present such a workload. The performance of this combo is therefore defined by the GPU's limits, not the CPU's capabilities.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combination depend heavily on the target resolution. For a smooth 60 FPS experience at 1920x1080, the Medium preset is the clear choice, delivering an average of 82 FPS with a minimum of 70 FPS. This ensures that even in demanding scenes, the frame rate stays above the 60 FPS target. The High preset at 1080p also provides a respectable 73 FPS average, but the Medium preset offers more headroom. The Low preset yields 98 FPS but sacrifices visual quality, which is unnecessary given the available performance at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the situation becomes more constrained. The Medium preset is the only option that breaks the 60 FPS barrier, averaging 62 FPS with a minimum of 52 FPS. While playable, the minimum FPS indicates potential dips below 60 FPS. The High preset at 55 FPS is still playable, but Medium is recommended for a more consistent experience. The Low preset at 74 FPS is the best for maintaining high frame rates, but users must accept lower visual fidelity. The Ultra preset at 49 FPS is not recommended for a smooth experience.

At 3840x2160, achieving a playable frame rate is a challenge. No preset reaches an average of 60 FPS. The Low preset at 49 FPS is the most playable option, though it will not be a perfectly smooth experience. The Medium preset at 41 FPS and High at 37 FPS are borderline, while the Ultra preset at 33 FPS is not recommended. For 4K gaming, users should prioritize the Low preset if they wish to play at this resolution. The data suggests that 1080p with Medium settings is the sweet spot for this combination, providing a good balance of visual quality and performance.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D and Intel Arc B370 ranks 2642nd out of 2867 tested combos for Dave The Diver. This places it in the bottom portion of the database, indicating that it is a low-performing configuration for this specific game. The rank is heavily influenced by the GPU's low performance. The Arc B370 sits in the 5th percentile of all GPUs, with an average 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1184. Its nearest rivals are older cards like the ATI Radeon HD 5770, which scores 1190, and the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570, which scores 1186.

This low GPU ranking is the primary reason for the combo's low overall rank. The CPU, in contrast, is in the 95th percentile of all CPUs, making it a top-tier processor. The pairing of a high-end CPU with a low-end GPU results in a system that is severely unbalanced for gaming. The CPU's potential is wasted, as it is never the limiting factor. The data shows that the combo's performance is almost entirely defined by the GPU's capabilities. The rank of 2642 out of 2867 suggests that most other tested configurations, even those with much weaker CPUs, would likely outperform this one in Dave The Diver, provided they have a more capable GPU. The bottleneck is so pronounced that the CPU choice has little to no impact on the final frame rate.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system’s performance varies significantly with settings. On the Low preset, it achieves an average of 98 FPS. Moving to Medium, the average FPS drops to 82, with a minimum of 70 and a maximum of 94 FPS. The High preset yields an average of 73 FPS, and the Ultra preset produces an average of 65 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra shows a 33 FPS difference, with the Ultra preset being 33.7% slower than Low.

At 2560x1440, the performance drops across all settings. The Low preset averages 74 FPS. The Medium preset averages 62 FPS, with a minimum of 52 and a maximum of 71 FPS. The High preset averages 55 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 49 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 25 FPS, with Ultra being 33.8% slower. The Medium preset is the only one that maintains an average above 60 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is severely taxed. The Low preset averages 49 FPS. The Medium preset averages 41 FPS, with a minimum of 35 and a maximum of 47 FPS. The High preset averages 37 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 33 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 16 FPS, with Ultra being 32.7% slower. No preset at this resolution achieves an average of 60 FPS, indicating that 4K gaming is not a viable option for a consistently smooth experience with this hardware.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is an integrated GPU based on the Xe3-LPG architecture and manufactured on a 3 nm process. It has a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2400 MHz. Its memory is designated as "System Shared," meaning it relies on the system's main memory rather than dedicated VRAM. The GPU has 1280 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 20 ROPs. Its theoretical performance is rated at 6.144 TFLOPS for FP32 operations and 12.29 TFLOPS for FP16. The TDP is 25 W.

In the benchmark data, the Arc B370 scores 1184 in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, placing it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs. This extremely low score is consistent with its performance in Dave The Diver. The GPU's role in this game is the definitive bottleneck. The measured FPS is directly tied to its rendering capabilities. At 1080p, it can provide playable frame rates on most presets. However, as resolution increases, its limited ROPs and shading units are overwhelmed. The data shows that the GPU's performance is the sole determinant of the final frame rate. The CPU, despite its immense power, cannot compensate for the GPU's inability to render frames quickly. The system shared memory configuration also means that the GPU must compete with the CPU for memory bandwidth, potentially further limiting performance in memory-intensive scenarios. For this game, the Arc B370 is the limiting factor, and its performance dictates that this combo is only suitable for 1080p or low-detail 1440p gaming.