Dave The Diver

Dave The Diver is an Adventure title that is far less demanding than most modern releases, but the benchmark data for the Intel Core i7-12700KF paired with the Intel Arc B390 reveals a configuration that is strictly limited by its graphics component. The measured FPS figures show that this combo is capable of delivering playable frame rates at 1080p and 1440p with adjusted settings, but it falls short of a smooth 4K experience. The data indicates that the pairing ranks in the bottom percentile of tested combos, making it a niche setup for this specific game.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings, clearly identifying the GPU as the bottleneck. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 81 FPS at 1920x1080 to 61 FPS at 2560x1440, and finally to 41 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 49.4% reduction in performance from 1080p to 4K. The scaling is slightly less punishing at Low settings, where the average drops from 108 FPS at 1080p to 82 FPS at 1440p and 55 FPS at 4K, a 49.1% total decrease. This linear degradation pattern suggests that the rendering pipeline is saturated by the GPU’s fixed execution resources rather than memory bandwidth or CPU overhead.

The fact that the frame rate drops by roughly half when the pixel count quadruples indicates that the Intel Arc B390 is operating at its absolute limits. The data shows that the gap between 1440p and 4K is larger than the gap between 1080p and 1440p in absolute terms; for example, at Medium settings, the drop from 1440p to 4K is 22 FPS (68 to 46), while the drop from 1080p to 1440p is 23 FPS (91 to 68). This near-equal absolute loss means the GPU is scaling poorly with resolution, likely due to the low pixel fillrate and texture rate of the chip.

What is most telling is that the minimum FPS values are only available for the Medium preset, which shows a 39 FPS floor at 4K and a 77 FPS floor at 1080p. This indicates that even in the most demanding moments, the 1080p experience stays comfortably above 60 FPS, while the 4K experience dips below 40 FPS. For a game like Dave The Diver, which is primarily a 2D side-scrolling adventure with 3D elements, the resolution scaling data suggests that 1440p is the practical ceiling for maintaining a consistent 60 FPS, and only at Low or Medium settings.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700KF is a desktop processor from the Core 12th Gen series, built on the Alder Lake architecture with a 10 nm process node. It features 12 cores and 20 threads, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. The processor has a 25 MB shared L3 cache and supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory. In synthetic benchmarks, this CPU scores 1043 in 3dmark_single_thread and 9983 in 3dmark_max_threads, placing it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals in terms of average benchmark score include the Intel Core i7-13700T and the Intel Core i5-13600T, with delta differences of -0.1% and 0.2% respectively.

For Dave The Diver, the CPU’s role is largely secondary, as the game’s mechanics are not typically thread-heavy. The multi-threaded performance is strong, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 28838 and a Passmark multithread score of 34092. However, the game’s frame rate is not constrained by these capabilities. The benchmark results show that even at Low settings with 1080p, the average FPS is 108, which is a high frame rate but not indicative of CPU limitation; rather, it reflects the GPU’s output ceiling. The single-thread performance, with a Geekbench singlecore score of 2255, is more relevant for game logic and physics, and it is more than adequate for this title.

The data suggests that the CPU is never the limiting factor in this configuration. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see similar FPS across different resolutions, but the measured FPS drops significantly as resolution increases. Since the FPS scales down with resolution, the GPU is clearly the primary constraint. The CPU’s high boost clock of 5.00 GHz and 20 threads provide ample headroom for any background tasks or game engine overhead, ensuring that the GPU is fed with data without stutter. In this context, the i7-12700KF is an overqualified partner for the Arc B390, and its performance is effectively wasted in this specific pairing.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank for this specific pairing in Dave The Diver is 2538 out of 2867 tested combinations. This places it in the bottom 11.5% of all tested configurations, which is a poor result. The rank is heavily influenced by the GPU’s low performance percentile of 9, meaning it performs better than only 9% of all GPUs in the database. The GPU’s average benchmark score is 1482, which puts it in the same league as legacy mobile parts like the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX and the NVIDIA GeForce 800M, with delta percentages of 1.3% and 1.5% respectively.

This low rank is not a reflection of the CPU, which performs in the 85th percentile of all CPUs. Rather, it is a direct consequence of pairing a high-end processor with an entry-level integrated graphics solution. The Intel Arc B390 is listed with a TDP of 80 W and is classified as an IGP (Integrated Graphics Processor), which explains its limited capabilities. The combination ranks so low because the GPU cannot keep up with the CPU’s potential, creating a severe imbalance. For context, the CPU’s nearest rivals are all desktop processors with similar performance levels, but the GPU’s rivals are ancient mobile chips, illustrating the vast performance gap between the two components.

The practical implication of this rank is that users should not expect a high-performance gaming experience. The combo is suitable for light gaming or older titles, but for Dave The Diver, it struggles to maintain high frame rates at higher resolutions. The rank also suggests that if a user already owns the i7-12700KF, they would be better served by any discrete GPU, even a modest one, to improve the gaming experience significantly. The data shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor, and the low rank is entirely attributable to the GPU.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of performance across three resolutions and four quality presets. At 1920x1080, the average frame rates are 108 FPS at Low, 91 FPS at Medium, 81 FPS at High, and 72 FPS at Ultra. The Medium preset has a recorded minimum of 77 FPS and a maximum of 104 FPS, indicating a stable experience with no major dips. The 1080p performance is the only resolution where the combo can consistently exceed 60 FPS on all settings, making it the target resolution for a smooth experience.

At 2560x1440, the average frame rates drop to 82 FPS at Low, 68 FPS at Medium, 61 FPS at High, and 54 FPS at Ultra. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 58 FPS and a maximum of 78 FPS. This resolution is playable, but the High preset hovers around the 60 FPS mark, and the Ultra preset falls below it. For a game that is not fast-paced, 54 FPS at Ultra might be acceptable, but the data shows that Medium or Low settings are required for a consistent 60 FPS experience.

At 3840x2160, the performance drops significantly. The average frame rates are 55 FPS at Low, 46 FPS at Medium, 41 FPS at High, and 36 FPS at Ultra. The Medium preset has a minimum of 39 FPS and a maximum of 53 FPS. These numbers are below the threshold for smooth gameplay, and even the Low preset cannot maintain 60 FPS. The 4K experience is only suitable for static scenes or turn-based gameplay, and the data suggests that users should avoid this resolution unless they are willing to accept a sub-40 FPS average. The scaling from 1080p to 4K shows a consistent loss of approximately 49% of the frame rate, confirming the GPU’s limitations.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is the clear limiting factor in this configuration. It is based on the Panther Lake chip with the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on a 3 nm process node. The GPU has a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz. It features 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 raster output units, along with 12 ray tracing cores. The memory is listed as "System Shared," meaning it uses the system’s main memory rather than dedicated VRAM, and the memory bandwidth is "System Dependent." The GPU’s TDP is 80 W, and it is classified as an IGP with no power connectors.

The synthetic benchmark for this GPU is a single 3dmark_steel_nomad_dx12 score of 1482, which places it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, the NVIDIA GeForce 800M, the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM, and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710. These are all very old, low-performance parts, with the GT 710 being a common entry-level card from a decade ago. The delta percentages for these rivals are small, ranging from 1.3% to 2.7%, indicating that the Arc B390 is only marginally faster than these legacy parts.

In Dave The Diver, the GPU’s role is to render the 2D sprites and 3D environments, and its limitations are exposed at higher resolutions. The pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s and texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s are insufficient for 4K rendering, as evidenced by the 41 FPS average at High settings. The FP32 performance of 7.680 TFLOPS is also modest, further explaining the low frame rates. The GPU’s clock speed of 2500 MHz is high, but the low number of execution units (1536 shading units) means it cannot process enough data per cycle. The system-shared memory also limits performance, as accessing system RAM is slower than dedicated VRAM. The data clearly shows that the Arc B390 is not designed for high-resolution gaming, and its performance in this title is consistent with its low percentile ranking.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Dave The Diver?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 is the only resolution where the average FPS exceeds 60 on all settings, with a maximum of 108 FPS at Low and a minimum of 72 FPS at Ultra. At 2560x1440, only the Low and Medium presets stay above 60 FPS, while 3840x2160 falls below 55 FPS on all presets.

Q: How does the Intel Core i7-12700KF perform relative to its rivals?

A: The CPU has an average benchmark score of 35365, placing it in the 85th percentile. Its nearest rival is the Intel Core i7-13700T with a score of 35403, a delta of -0.1%, meaning the i7-12700KF is essentially tied with it. It is also 0.2% faster than the Intel Core i5-13600T and 0.2% slower than the Intel Core 5 213PE.

Q: Is the Intel Arc B390 comparable to any other GPUs?

A: The GPU’s average benchmark score is 1482, placing it in the 9th percentile. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (score 1463, delta 1.3%), the NVIDIA GeForce 800M (score 1460, delta 1.5%), and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM (score 1446, delta 2.5%). These are all legacy low-end parts.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Medium and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Medium preset averages 68 FPS with a minimum of 58 FPS and a maximum of 78 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 54 FPS with no minimum or maximum data provided. This represents a 14 FPS difference between the two presets.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU in this configuration?

A: No, the data indicates the GPU is the bottleneck. If the CPU were the limiting factor, FPS would remain constant across resolutions. Instead, the average FPS drops from 108 at 1080p Low to 55 at 4K Low, showing a strong correlation with resolution that points to the GPU as the constraint.

Q: What is the combo’s overall ranking among tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 2538 out of 2867 tested combos in Dave The Diver. This places it in the bottom 11.5% of all tested configurations, primarily due to the GPU’s low performance percentile of 9, while the CPU performs in the 85th percentile.