Dave The Diver

Dave The Diver presents an interesting scaling curve for the Intel Core i5-14600KF paired with the Intel Arc B580. The data shows a system that is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions but still delivers playable frame rates across the board, with the most significant performance drop occurring between 1440p and 4K rather than between 1080p and 1440p.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a classic GPU-limited scaling pattern as resolution increases. At 1080p with Ultra settings, the Arc B580 delivers 124 FPS average. Moving to 1440p Ultra drops that to 94 FPS, a reduction of 24%. The jump to 4K Ultra further reduces performance to 63 FPS, which represents a 33% drop from the 1440p result and a 49% drop from the 1080p baseline. This steep decline at 4K indicates the GPU is the primary limiting component at that resolution, with the 12 GB VRAM buffer and 456.0 GB/s bandwidth being taxed heavily by the higher pixel count.

The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is more moderate. At High settings, the system moves from 141 FPS at 1080p to 106 FPS at 1440p, a 25% reduction. At Low settings, the drop is from 189 FPS to 142 FPS, a 25% reduction as well. This consistency across settings suggests the resolution scaling factor is relatively uniform regardless of graphics preset, which is typical for a game that is primarily fill-rate limited.

The 4K results tell a more nuanced story. At Low settings, the system still manages 95 FPS at 3840x2160, which is only 33% below the 1080p Low result of 189 FPS. However, at Ultra settings, the 4K result of 63 FPS is 49% below the 1080p Ultra result. This widening gap at higher settings indicates that the combination of increased resolution and higher graphical fidelity places exponential stress on the GPU, particularly on the shading units and texture units.

The data suggests that this combination is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where it consistently exceeds 94 FPS at all settings. At 4K, the system remains playable but requires dropping to Medium settings to maintain an 80 FPS average, with Low settings providing a comfortable 95 FPS. The 4K Ultra preset at 63 FPS is borderline for smooth gameplay, though it remains above the 60 FPS threshold.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B580 is the decisive factor in this game's performance envelope. Built on the Xe2-HPG architecture and fabricated on a 5 nm process by TSMC, this GPU features 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 80 raster output units. The 20 ray tracing cores and 80 ROPS contribute to a pixel rate of 213.6 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 427.2 GTexel/s, which directly correlate with the frame rates observed in Dave The Diver.

The GPU's memory subsystem is particularly relevant to the scaling behavior. With 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, the B580 achieves 456.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but the 4K results show where the bandwidth ceiling begins to constrain performance. The clock speeds are locked at 2670 MHz for both base and boost, and the memory runs at 2375 MHz with 19 Gbps effective speed. This consistent clock behavior contributes to the predictable frame rate scaling observed across resolutions.

In the broader GPU benchmark landscape, the Arc B580 ranks in the 68th percentile of all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 23021. Its nearest rivals in average score include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 at 22895 (0.6% lower), the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP at 23061 (0.2% higher), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 at 23172 (0.7% higher). These tight margins indicate that the B580 sits in a competitive performance tier, though the RTX 3080's slightly higher score suggests it holds a marginal edge in raw compute.

The GPU's 13.67 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 27.34 TFLOPS of FP16 (2:1 ratio) provide ample processing power for Dave The Diver's art style, which favors texture detail and particle effects over complex geometry. The 12 GB VRAM capacity ensures that texture streaming remains smooth even at 4K Ultra, where the game's asset density is highest.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution and frame rate preference. At 1080p, all settings are viable, with Ultra delivering 124 FPS and Low reaching 189 FPS. The Medium preset at 158 FPS with a minimum of 134 FPS and maximum of 182 FPS offers an excellent balance, providing high frame rates with improved visual fidelity over Low.

For 1440p, the Medium preset stands out as the best recommendation. It achieves 119 FPS average with a minimum of 101 FPS and maximum of 137 FPS, which is only 23 FPS below the Low preset's 142 FPS but provides substantially better graphical quality. The High preset at 106 FPS is also acceptable, but the 13 FPS advantage of Medium makes it the superior choice for maintaining smooth gameplay.

At 4K, the Medium preset is the clear winner. It delivers 80 FPS average with a minimum of 68 FPS and maximum of 92 FPS, which is 15 FPS higher than High at 71 FPS and 17 FPS higher than Ultra at 63 FPS. The Low preset at 95 FPS is the only option that exceeds 90 FPS at 4K, but the visual compromise may not be worth the 15 FPS gain over Medium.

The data indicates that Medium settings provide the most consistent experience across all three resolutions. The minimum FPS values for Medium are 134 at 1080p, 101 at 1440p, and 68 at 4K, all of which remain comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold. This consistency makes Medium the safest recommendation for players who prioritize stable frame rates over maximum visual fidelity.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU and GPU combination in Dave The Diver?

A: The data shows 1440p as the sweet spot. At Medium settings, the system delivers 119 FPS average with a minimum of 101 FPS, while 4K Medium drops to 80 FPS average and 1080p Medium reaches 158 FPS. The 1440p result balances visual quality with frame rate headroom.

Q: How does the Arc B580 compare to its nearest rivals in this game?

A: While specific in-game rival scores are not provided, the GPU's average benchmark score of 23021 places it just 0.7% below the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 and 0.6% above the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080. This suggests the B580 should perform competitively against these cards in Dave The Diver.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-14600KF a bottleneck at any resolution?

A: The scaling pattern indicates the GPU is the limiting factor. The 14-core, 20-thread CPU with a 5.30 GHz boost clock provides ample processing power, as evidenced by the consistent frame rates across settings at each resolution. The CPU's 90th percentile ranking among all CPUs supports this conclusion.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 4K Ultra settings?

A: The measured data shows 63 FPS average at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings. This is below the 71 FPS achieved at High settings and the 80 FPS at Medium, making Ultra the most demanding preset in the test suite.

Q: Does the 12 GB VRAM of the Arc B580 cause any issues in this game?

A: The benchmark results do not indicate any VRAM-related stuttering or frame drops. The minimum FPS values of 68 at 4K Medium, 101 at 1440p Medium, and 134 at 1080p Medium suggest the 12 GB buffer is sufficient for Dave The Diver's asset requirements.

Q: How does the system perform at 1080p with maximum settings?

A: At 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, the system achieves 124 FPS average. This is well above the 60 FPS threshold and indicates the B580 has significant headroom at this resolution, even with all graphical features enabled.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600KF serves as a strong foundation for this gaming configuration. With 14 cores and 20 threads across its Raptor Lake-R architecture, this processor provides substantial multi-threaded capability that prevents it from becoming a bottleneck in Dave The Diver. The base clock of 3.50 GHz and boost clock of 5.30 GHz ensure responsive single-threaded performance, which is critical for game logic and physics calculations.

The CPU's benchmark results confirm its capability. In Cinebench R23, it scores 32544 in multi-core and 4594 in single-core tests. The Geekbench results show 17085 in multi-core and 2445 in single-core. These scores place the i5-14600KF in the 90th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 49394. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 7900, scores 49228, a mere 0.3% difference, indicating the two processors are functionally equivalent in general compute tasks.

The cache hierarchy of the i5-14600KF is well-suited to gaming workloads. The 24 MB of shared L3 cache, combined with 2 MB of L2 cache per core and 80 KB of L1 cache per core, provides fast access to frequently used data. This is particularly beneficial for games like Dave The Diver that feature dynamic world generation and frequent asset loading.

The processor supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration, though the measured FPS data does not specify which memory type was used. The 125 W TDP and Intel Socket 1700 compatibility make it a straightforward pairing with mainstream motherboards. The unlocked multiplier allows for overclocking headroom, though the stock performance is already sufficient for this game.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured FPS dataset provides a comprehensive view of performance across all resolution and settings combinations.

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates. Low settings produce 189 FPS average, Medium produces 158 FPS with a minimum of 134 FPS and maximum of 182 FPS, High produces 141 FPS, and Ultra produces 124 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra is 65 FPS, indicating that graphical settings have a significant impact at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, performance remains strong but shows the expected decline. Low settings achieve 142 FPS, Medium achieves 119 FPS with a minimum of 101 FPS and maximum of 137 FPS, High achieves 106 FPS, and Ultra achieves 94 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra narrows to 48 FPS, suggesting the GPU is becoming more constrained.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor. Low settings produce 95 FPS, Medium produces 80 FPS with a minimum of 68 FPS and maximum of 92 FPS, High produces 71 FPS, and Ultra produces 63 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is just 32 FPS, demonstrating that resolution has a greater impact on performance than settings at 4K.

The overall combo rank in Dave The Diver is 2780 out of 3710 tested combinations, placing this configuration in the 75th percentile of all tested systems. This ranking reflects the balanced nature of the i5-14600KF and Arc B580 pairing, which delivers solid performance without reaching the top tier of gaming hardware. The 90th percentile CPU ranking and 68th percentile GPU ranking combine to produce a system that excels in CPU-bound scenarios but is constrained by GPU performance at higher resolutions.