Dave The Diver

Dave The Diver presents an interesting case for the Intel Core i5-14600KF and Intel Arc B570 pairing. The data shows a combination that is highly capable, though the performance scaling across resolutions reveals where the bottleneck shifts. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS to understand the dynamics between the CPU and GPU in this specific adventure title.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear and predictable decline as resolution increases, but the rate of that decline offers insight into the system's balance. At 1080p with Ultra settings, the combo produces an average of 110 FPS. Moving up to 1440p drops that average to 83 FPS, a reduction of roughly 25%. The jump to 4K is even more demanding, with the Ultra preset falling to 55 FPS, which is another 34% reduction from the 1440p figure.

This pattern suggests that at 1080p, the system has enough headroom that the game is likely not fully stressing either component to its absolute limit at lower settings. However, the steep drop-off when moving to higher resolutions points towards the GPU becoming the primary limiting factor. The Arc B570, with its 10 GB of VRAM and 160-bit memory bus, shows its workload increasing significantly as pixel count rises.

Looking at the Low preset, the trend is similar. It achieves 167 FPS at 1080p, drops to 125 FPS at 1440p (a 25% decrease), and then falls to 84 FPS at 4K (a 33% decrease from 1440p). The consistency of these percentage drops across different settings is a strong indicator that the GPU's rendering throughput is the limiting component. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would typically see a smaller performance delta between 1080p and 4K, as the CPU's workload per frame is less affected by resolution.

The data implies that the Core i5-14600KF has ample compute resources for this game. Even at 1080p Low, where the CPU would be most likely to hold back the frame rate, the system pushes 167 FPS. This high frame rate with a 14-core, 20-thread processor indicates that the game is not heavily multi-threaded or that the CPU's single-thread performance is sufficient to feed the GPU. The bottleneck is almost entirely on the graphics card, especially as resolution scales up.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's position within the database is modest, ranking 2282 out of 2867 tested combinations for Dave The Diver. This places it in the lower half of all tested combos, which is a critical context for the absolute FPS numbers we see. While 55 FPS at 4K Ultra is playable, the rank suggests that many other hardware pairings are capable of much higher performance in this specific title.

This ranking is particularly interesting when considering the CPU's individual performance. The Core i5-14600KF sits in the 90th percentile when compared to all CPUs, and its average benchmark score of 49394 is extremely close to its nearest rivals. For instance, the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 has an average score of 49228, a mere 0.3% difference. This indicates the CPU is a top-tier performer in general compute tasks. The fact that this combo still lands in the 2282nd position highlights that the GPU is the element holding the overall rank back. The Intel Arc B570's 65th percentile ranking among all GPUs is a much lower relative standing than the CPU's 90th percentile.

The disparity between the CPU's high percentile and the combo's lower rank underscores a fundamental truth in this pairing. The i5-14600KF is not the limiting factor. The data suggests that if the same CPU were paired with a higher-performing GPU, the combo's rank in this game would likely be significantly better. The current rank is a direct consequence of the GPU's capabilities, not the CPU's. This makes the pairing feel somewhat unbalanced, as the CPU has significant headroom that the Arc B570 cannot fully utilize in demanding scenarios.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570 is built on the Xe2-HPG architecture and features a base and boost clock of 2500 MHz. It has 2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 80 raster operations pipelines. These specifications translate to a pixel rate of 200.0 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 360.0 GTexel/s. The GPU is equipped with 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s.

In Dave The Diver, the GPU's role is clearly central, particularly at higher resolutions. The 4K Medium preset shows an average FPS of 70, with a minimum of 60 FPS and a maximum of 81. This is the only preset at 4K with a recorded minimum FPS, which could indicate a moment where the GPU's memory or processing was momentarily stressed. The 10 GB VRAM is likely sufficient for this game's textures at 4K, but the 160-bit memory bus and 380 GB/s bandwidth might be a limiting factor for high-resolution texture streaming.

The GPU's performance in synthetic benchmarks provides a profile of its capabilities. It scores 14195 in Passmark's G3D test and 2649 in 3DMark's Steel Nomad DX12 test. Its closest rival in the database is the Intel Arc A750, with a negligible 0.1% difference in average score (20582 vs 20556). This puts the B570 in a competitive position within its own generation, but it is a far cry from the top-tier GPUs. The data shows that in this game, the GPU is the component that determines the upper limit of performance, and its mid-range standing is reflected in the measured FPS, which are good but not exceptional for a high-end system.

FAQ

Q: Is this CPU and GPU combo capable of playing Dave The Diver at 4K?

A: Yes. The data shows an average of 63 FPS at 4K High and 55 FPS at 4K Ultra. While the Ultra preset dips below 60 FPS, the High preset provides a playable experience at 4K.

Q: Which component is the bottleneck in this system?

A: The data strongly indicates the GPU is the limiting factor. The consistent percentage drop in FPS as resolution increases (e.g., from 167 FPS at 1080p Low to 84 FPS at 4K Low) is a classic sign of a GPU bottleneck. The CPU's high percentile rank (90th) compared to the combo's relatively low rank (2282nd) further supports this.

Q: How much performance is gained by lowering settings from Ultra to Low?

A: The performance gain is significant and consistent across all resolutions. At 1080p, it increases from 110 FPS to 167 FPS. At 1440p, it goes from 83 FPS to 125 FPS, and at 4K, it rises from 55 FPS to 84 FPS.

Q: How does the Core i5-14600KF compare to its closest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 7900?

A: The average benchmark scores are nearly identical. The Intel Core i5-14600KF has an average score of 49394, while the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 scores 49228, a difference of only 0.3%. This suggests their general compute performance is effectively the same.

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The highest average FPS is 167, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset.

Q: Does the 4K Medium preset have any performance stability issues?

A: The data records a minimum FPS of 60 and a maximum of 81 for this preset. This indicates some frame time variance, but the average of 70 FPS shows it is generally stable.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal balance between visual quality and performance appears to be with the High preset. At 1080p, it delivers a smooth 124 FPS average. At 1440p, it maintains a high 94 FPS, which is excellent for a high-refresh-rate monitor. Even at 4K, the High preset produces an average of 63 FPS, which is playable and only 7 FPS short of the Medium preset's average, while offering better visual fidelity.

The Ultra preset is the most demanding. While it achieves 110 FPS at 1080p and 83 FPS at 1440p, it drops to 55 FPS at 4K. This makes it a viable choice for 1080p and 1440p gaming if the user prioritizes maximum graphical settings. However, at 4K, the drop below 60 FPS might be noticeable for some players. The Medium preset offers a marginal performance increase over High at 4K (70 FPS vs 63 FPS) but at the cost of visual detail, making High the more sensible choice for a quality/performance balance.

The Low preset provides the highest frame rates, reaching 167 FPS at 1080p, but it is primarily useful for competitive play or very high refresh rate displays. For most users, the data suggests the High preset is the sweet spot. It provides a significant frame rate advantage over Ultra while retaining a high level of graphical quality, and it performs admirably across all tested resolutions.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600KF is a 14-core, 20-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture. It has a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. Its cache configuration includes 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 2 MB of L2 cache per core, and a shared 24 MB of L3 cache. In the context of Dave The Diver, the CPU's role appears to be supportive rather than a bottleneck.

The measured FPS data implies that the game is not heavily CPU-bound. Even at 1080p Low settings, where the CPU would typically have the most influence, the system achieves 167 FPS. This high frame rate suggests that the i5-14600KF's processing power is more than sufficient to handle the game's simulation and logic. The CPU's strong single-thread performance, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4594 and a Geekbench single-core score of 2445, ensures that it can feed the GPU with draw calls efficiently.

The CPU's general compute capabilities are impressive, holding a 90th percentile ranking. Its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 32544 and Passmark multithread score of 38697 show its strength in multi-threaded workloads. However, this power is not fully utilized in Dave The Diver, as the bottleneck at higher resolutions is clearly the GPU. The CPU's high performance ceiling means it provides a stable foundation, ensuring that frame rates are not limited by processor performance, a fact that is more evident at lower resolutions where the GPU is less taxed.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete set of measured FPS data provides a precise look at the system's performance.

At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves an average of 167 FPS. The Medium preset lowers this to an average of 139 FPS, with a minimum of 118 FPS and a maximum of 160 FPS. The High preset yields an average of 124 FPS, while the Ultra preset produces an average of 110 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the Low preset records an average of 125 FPS. The Medium preset shows an average of 105 FPS, with a minimum of 89 and a maximum of 121 FPS. The High preset achieves an average of 94 FPS, and the Ultra preset brings the average down to 83 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset results in an average of 84 FPS. The Medium preset has an average of 70 FPS, with the only recorded min/max spread at this resolution (60-81 FPS). The High preset produces an average of 63 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 55 FPS.

These numbers show a consistent hierarchy where lower settings always yield higher frame rates, and lower resolutions always yield higher frame rates. The data is measured, confirming its reliability for analysis. The scaling from 1080p to 4K is substantial, with the system losing more than half its frame rate in some settings, reinforcing the GPU-centric nature of performance in this title.