Dave The Diver

Dave The Diver presents a surprisingly demanding workload for the Intel Core i5-11400F and Intel Arc B580 combination, though the data reveals a system that is consistently capable of delivering smooth gameplay across all tested resolutions. The measured results show that this pairing is well-balanced for the game, with the GPU becoming the primary bottleneck only at the highest resolution, while the CPU provides ample headroom at 1080p and 1440p. The overall ranking places this combo in the 75th percentile of all tested systems, indicating a solid, if not top-tier, performance level for this specific title.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K clearly illustrates the shifting balance between CPU and GPU workload in Dave The Diver. At 1080p with High settings, the system produces an average of 141 FPS, which is exceptionally high and suggests that the CPU is capable of feeding frames faster than the GPU can render them at this resolution. Moving to 1440p High, the average FPS falls to 106, a 25% reduction that indicates the GPU is starting to take on a more significant role. When scaling to 4K High, the average FPS drops further to 71, representing a 50% decrease from the 1080p result.

This scaling pattern is a textbook example of GPU-bound behavior at higher resolutions. The 33% reduction from 1440p to 4K (106 to 71 FPS) is more substantial than the 25% reduction from 1080p to 1440p (141 to 106 FPS), showing that the Arc B580's rendering capabilities become the limiting factor as pixel count increases. The Intel Core i5-11400F, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, appears to have sufficient processing power to avoid becoming a bottleneck even at 1080p, as evidenced by the 189 FPS average on Low settings at that resolution.

The data suggests that the limiting component changes depending on the resolution. At 1080p, the system is likely CPU-bound or at least balanced, as the GPU cannot fully utilize its potential. At 4K, the GPU is definitively the limiting factor, with the CPU having significant headroom to spare. This is further supported by the fact that the 4K Ultra preset yields 63 FPS average, which is still playable but shows the GPU struggling with the most demanding settings. The scaling from Low to Ultra at each resolution shows a consistent pattern, with the 4K Low setting achieving 95 FPS, which is nearly identical to the 1440p High setting at 106 FPS, highlighting how much the GPU workload increases with resolution.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-11400F provides a solid foundation for Dave The Diver, with its 6 cores and 12 threads offering enough parallelism for the game's engine. The processor's base clock of 2.60 GHz and boost clock of 4.40 GHz represent a significant dynamic range that allows it to handle both lightly-threaded and heavily-threaded workloads effectively. In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU demonstrates a substantial scaling from 2 threads to 8 threads, with scores of 1691 and 4691 respectively, indicating that the game can likely utilize multiple cores effectively.

However, the CPU's performance in Dave The Diver appears to be secondary to the GPU's capabilities. The fact that 1080p Low settings produce 189 FPS average, which is nearly 50% higher than the 4K High result, suggests that the CPU is not the primary constraint in most scenarios. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 14340 and single-core score of 2024 place this processor in a capable position for gaming, but the data shows that the game's performance is more heavily influenced by the graphics card at higher resolutions.

The CPU's 12 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support with 51.2 GB/s bandwidth are adequate for this title. The processor's 71st percentile ranking among all CPUs indicates it is above average, but its nearest rivals show it is closely matched with several other processors, including the AMD EPYC 7H12 and Intel Core i5-12450H, which have average benchmark scores within 0.6% of the i5-11400F. This suggests that while the CPU is not the star of the show, it provides a stable and consistent platform for the GPU to perform, as evidenced by the smooth frame delivery across all settings and resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand scheme of tested hardware combinations for Dave The Diver, the Intel Core i5-11400F paired with the Intel Arc B580 achieves a rank of 2780 out of 3710 total combos. This places the system in the 75th percentile, meaning it outperforms approximately three-quarters of all tested configurations. While this ranking might seem modest, it is important to consider the context: the database likely includes many high-end systems with flagship CPUs and GPUs, so a mid-range combination achieving this position demonstrates respectable performance.

The combo's ranking is likely influenced more by the GPU than the CPU, given the analysis of resolution scaling. The Arc B580's 68th percentile ranking among all GPUs is slightly lower than the CPU's 71st percentile, suggesting that the graphics card is the more limiting factor in this pairing. The GPU's average benchmark score of 23021 places it in close competition with the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080, with delta percentages of -0.2% and 0.6% respectively, indicating very tight performance clustering.

This ranking suggests that the combo is well-matched for Dave The Diver, as neither component significantly bottlenecks the other in a way that would drag the overall performance down. The 4K Ultra result of 63 FPS, while not the highest, is still within a playable range, and the 1440p High result of 106 FPS offers a smooth experience. The system's performance is competitive with many other mid-range to upper-mid-range configurations, making it a reasonable choice for this game, though not an exceptional one.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS achievable with this combo in Dave The Diver?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 189, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How does the system perform at 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 resolution with Ultra settings, the system produces an average FPS of 63, which is the lowest average among all tested configurations.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more likely to be the bottleneck at 1440p?

A: The data shows a 25% FPS drop from 1080p to 1440p at High settings (141 to 106 FPS), suggesting the GPU is becoming more influential, but the CPU still has enough headroom to avoid being a significant bottleneck.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, the average FPS ranges from 189 on Low to 124 on Ultra, a difference of 65 FPS, indicating that graphics settings have a substantial impact on performance.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to all other tested combinations?

A: This combo ranks 2780 out of 3710 total combinations, placing it in the 75th percentile of tested systems.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for this system?

A: The minimum FPS data is only available for Medium settings, with a recorded minimum of 68 FPS at 4K resolution and 134 FPS at 1080p.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B580 is the primary driver of performance in Dave The Diver, and its characteristics directly influence the frame rates observed across different settings. The GPU's 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus provides a memory bandwidth of 456.0 GB/s, which is sufficient for the game's textures and assets at all resolutions. The 2560 shading units and 80 ROPs contribute to the card's rendering capabilities, with a pixel rate of 213.6 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 427.2 GTexel/s.

The GPU's clock speeds, with a base and boost of 2670 MHz, are relatively high and consistent, allowing for predictable performance scaling. The FP32 performance of 13.67 TFLOPS places the card in a competitive position, as evidenced by its benchmark scores. In the Passmark G3D test, the GPU scores 15748, and its average benchmark score of 23021 positions it closely with several rival cards. The nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP with a deltaPct of -0.2%, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 with a deltaPct of 0.6%, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 with a deltaPct of -0.7%.

This tight clustering of benchmark scores suggests that the Arc B580 offers performance comparable to these established cards, but the measured FPS in Dave The Diver shows a clear dependency on the GPU's workload. The 4K results, ranging from 95 FPS on Low to 63 FPS on Ultra, demonstrate that the GPU is the limiting factor at this resolution. The 12 GB VRAM capacity is likely not a constraint for this game, as even the highest settings at 4K do not appear to cause memory-related performance degradation, given the consistent frame rates. Overall, the GPU's role is to provide solid performance at 1440p and acceptable performance at 4K, with the 1080p results being more limited by the CPU than the GPU.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for the Intel Core i5-11400F and Intel Arc B580 combination depend heavily on the target resolution. For 4K gaming, the High preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance, with an average FPS of 71. The Ultra preset at 4K drops to 63 FPS, which is still playable but may not be worth the additional graphical fidelity for the 11% performance loss. The Medium preset at 4K yields 80 FPS, which is a significant improvement over High, but the visual difference between Medium and High may be noticeable. The Low preset at 4K provides 95 FPS, but this sacrifices too much visual quality for the performance gain.

At 1440p, the High preset delivers 106 FPS, which is an excellent experience for most players, offering a smooth and responsive gameplay. The Ultra preset at 1440p achieves 94 FPS, which is still highly playable and provides the best visual experience. Given the 11% performance difference between High and Ultra at this resolution, players with high-refresh-rate monitors may prefer High, while those prioritizing visuals can opt for Ultra without significant drawbacks. The Medium preset at 1440p produces 119 FPS, but the jump from Medium to High is only a 12% performance decrease, making High the recommended choice for the improved visuals.

For 1080p gaming, the system has ample performance headroom across all settings. The Ultra preset at 1080p achieves 124 FPS, which is more than sufficient for most displays. The High preset at 1080p yields 141 FPS, and the Medium preset produces 158 FPS. Given that the CPU is likely the limiting factor at this resolution, the recommendation is to use the Ultra preset to maximize visual quality, as the performance difference between settings is relatively small (189 FPS on Low vs. 124 FPS on Ultra). The minimum FPS recorded at 1080p Medium is 134, which indicates that even the most demanding moments remain smooth. Therefore, for the best overall experience, the data suggests using High settings at 4K, High or Ultra at 1440p, and Ultra at 1080p.