Dave The Diver

Dave The Diver presents an interesting case study in hardware scaling, as the measured data for the Intel Core i7-14700F paired with the Intel Arc B370 reveals a system that is consistently bound by its graphics processor across all resolutions. The combination of a high-end 20-core CPU with an entry-level integrated GPU creates a significant bottleneck, where the processor's capabilities are largely left untapped while the graphics solution struggles to maintain high frame rates. This analysis will break down the measured FPS data to show how the system behaves at different settings and resolutions, what the experience looks like for a player, and how this specific combo ranks against other tested configurations in the database.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression from 1080p to 4K clearly illustrates the GPU-bound nature of this system. At 1080p with High settings, the combo produces an average of 73 FPS, but this drops to 55 FPS at 1440p and further to 37 FPS at 4K. This represents a 24.7% decrease from 1080p to 1440p, and a 49.3% decrease from 1080p to 4K. The scaling pattern indicates that the Intel Arc B370 is the limiting component, as the resolution increase directly impacts the pixel throughput required from the GPU.

Looking at the Low settings preset, the same trend continues but with higher absolute numbers. The system achieves 98 FPS at 1080p, which drops to 74 FPS at 1440p (a 24.5% decrease) and 49 FPS at 4K (a 50% decrease from 1080p). The consistent percentage drops across settings presets suggest that the scaling penalty is purely resolution-driven, not setting-driven. In other words, the relative cost of rendering at higher resolutions remains constant regardless of the graphical fidelity, which is a classic sign of a GPU with limited fill rate or memory bandwidth.

The Ultra preset shows the most dramatic scaling, starting at 65 FPS at 1080p and falling to 49 FPS at 1440p, then 33 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result of 33 FPS is barely above the threshold of playability, and the data suggests that the Arc B370 simply does not have the raw pixel processing power to handle Dave The Diver at high resolutions with maximum settings. The gap between 1080p Ultra (65 FPS) and 4K Ultra (33 FPS) is a 49.2% reduction, nearly identical to the scaling seen in other presets, reinforcing that resolution is the dominant factor in performance degradation.

What this scaling data reveals is that the Intel Core i7-14700F is never the limiting factor in this equation. Even at 1080p Low, where the GPU is least stressed, the system only reaches 98 FPS, which is far below what this CPU could theoretically support in a less GPU-bound scenario. The benchmark results indicate that a player would need to drop to lower resolutions and settings to approach the performance ceiling of the processor, but the GPU's capabilities cap the experience well before that point.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal experience for this combo balances visual quality with playable frame rates. At 1080p, the Medium preset delivers 82 FPS on average, with minimums of 70 FPS and maximums of 94 FPS. This is the sweet spot for smooth gameplay, as it stays comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold for most action sequences. The High preset at 1080p drops to 73 FPS, which is still playable but with less headroom for demanding scenes in the game's underwater exploration and restaurant management segments.

For players prioritizing visual fidelity, the High preset at 1080p (73 FPS) offers a better experience than the Ultra preset (65 FPS), as the performance gain from dropping from Ultra to High is 12.3% with likely minimal visual difference in this art style. The Ultra preset at 1080p is only 65 FPS, which is borderline for fast-paced gameplay, so the data suggests that High is the highest settings tier worth considering for this resolution.

At 1440p, the Medium preset (62 FPS) is the only setting that maintains an acceptable average frame rate, with minimums of 52 FPS. The High preset at 1440p drops to 55 FPS, which is playable but may feel less responsive during intense fishing sequences or when multiple characters are on screen. The Low preset at 1440p (74 FPS) provides the smoothest experience but sacrifices significant visual quality. For 4K, none of the presets achieve a truly playable standard, with the best result being 49 FPS at Low settings, which is below the 60 FPS target most players prefer.

The measured data suggests that Medium settings at 1080p or 1440p provide the best overall experience for this hardware combination. The Medium preset at 1440p (62 FPS) is particularly notable as it offers a resolution upgrade over 1080p while maintaining acceptable performance, though the 1080p Medium preset (82 FPS) provides more consistent frame pacing with its 70 FPS minimum. Players should avoid Ultra settings at any resolution, as the performance cost is disproportionate to the visual gains, and the 4K resolution should be reserved for Low settings if a player absolutely must use it.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is the clear performance bottleneck in this configuration, and its specifications explain why. The GPU features 1280 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 20 raster output pipelines, with a boost clock of 2400 MHz. Its FP32 compute throughput is rated at 6.144 TFLOPS, and it operates with system-shared memory, meaning its bandwidth is system-dependent rather than dedicated. The GPU's pixel rate is 48.00 GPixel/s, and its texture rate is 96.00 GTexel/s, which are modest figures that align with its low-end positioning.

In the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 benchmark, the Arc B370 scores 1184 points, placing it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (score 1186, delta -0.2%), the ATI Radeon HD 5770 (score 1190, delta -0.5%), and the AMD Radeon HD 7650M (score 1192, delta -0.7%). This puts the Arc B370 in the same performance class as graphics cards from over a decade ago, which explains why it struggles with Dave The Diver at higher settings. The GPU's 3nm process node and Xe3-LPG architecture are modern, but the low transistor count and shared memory configuration fundamentally limit its gaming performance.

The system-shared memory architecture is particularly impactful for this game, as Dave The Diver requires consistent texture streaming for its detailed underwater environments. With no dedicated VRAM, the GPU must compete with the CPU for memory bandwidth, which likely contributes to the frame rate drops seen at higher resolutions. The 25 W TDP and lack of power connectors indicate this is an integrated graphics solution, and the benchmark results confirm that it performs at the level of an entry-level discrete GPU from previous generations. The GPU's 10 RT cores and support for DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) are forward-looking features, but they do not translate into playable performance at high settings in this title.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete FPS dataset for this combo shows a clear hierarchy across resolutions and settings. At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset produces 33 FPS average, High produces 37 FPS, Medium produces 41 FPS (with a minimum of 35 and maximum of 47), and Low produces 49 FPS. The 4K results are all below the 60 FPS threshold, and even the Low preset at 49 FPS would feel stuttery during fast camera movements. The Medium preset at 4K has a narrow 12 FPS range between minimum and maximum, indicating consistent performance but at an unplayable level.

Moving to 2560x1440, the Ultra preset achieves 49 FPS, High achieves 55 FPS, Medium achieves 62 FPS (with a minimum of 52 and maximum of 71), and Low achieves 74 FPS. The Medium preset at 1440p is the first configuration that approaches playable performance, with its 52 FPS minimum still being borderline. The High preset at 1440p (55 FPS) is technically playable but lacks the headroom needed for stable frame times. The Low preset at 1440p (74 FPS) offers the best performance-to-quality ratio for this resolution, though it requires significant visual compromises.

At 1920x1080, the results improve substantially. The Ultra preset achieves 65 FPS, High achieves 73 FPS, Medium achieves 82 FPS (with a minimum of 70 and maximum of 94), and Low achieves 98 FPS. The 1080p Medium preset is the standout configuration, offering a 70 FPS minimum that ensures smooth gameplay throughout the experience. The 1080p High preset at 73 FPS is also viable, and the 1080p Low preset at 98 FPS approaches the refresh rate of standard 60 Hz monitors. The 1080p Ultra preset at 65 FPS is the weakest of the playable options but still maintains a playable average.

The delta between the best and worst settings at each resolution is consistent: 16 FPS at 4K (49 to 33), 25 FPS at 1440p (74 to 49), and 33 FPS at 1080p (98 to 65). This growing delta at lower resolutions suggests that the settings presets have a larger absolute impact when the GPU is less resolution-bound, but the relative scaling remains similar. The Medium presets consistently offer the best balance of minimum FPS and average FPS, making them the recommended choice for this hardware.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Dave The Diver, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i7-14700F with the Intel Arc B370 ranks 3422 out of 3710 tested combos. This places it in the bottom 7.8% of all configurations, which is expected given the GPU's low performance percentile. The combo's rank is driven almost entirely by the GPU, as the CPU is a high-end processor that would rank much higher in CPU-only benchmarks.

The Intel Core i7-14700F itself has an average benchmark score of 53620 and ranks in the 91st percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Xeon 6505P (avg score 53701, delta -0.2%), the Intel Xeon Phi 7290 (avg score 53469, delta 0.3%), the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X (avg score 53288, delta 0.6%), and the AMD EPYC 7313P (avg score 53206, delta 0.8%). This means the CPU is performing at the level of top-tier server and desktop processors, but its potential is wasted in this combination.

The contrast between the CPU's high ranking and the combo's low ranking highlights the importance of balanced hardware selection. A player using this combo in Dave The Diver would experience frame rates typical of a low-end system, despite having a processor that can handle far more demanding workloads. The combo rank of 3422 out of 3710 indicates that only 288 tested combinations perform worse in this game, and most of those likely feature similarly weak GPUs. For reference, the GPU's 5th percentile ranking means that 95% of tested GPUs would perform better in Dave The Diver, making this one of the weakest graphics solutions in the database.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Dave The Diver at 4K with acceptable performance?

A: No. The best 4K result is 49 FPS at Low settings, which is below the 60 FPS standard for smooth gameplay. The 4K Medium preset achieves 41 FPS, and the 4K Ultra preset drops to 33 FPS, making all 4K configurations unsuitable for playable frame rates.

Q: What is the best settings preset for this hardware?

A: The Medium preset at 1080p provides the best balance, with an average of 82 FPS and a minimum of 70 FPS. At 1440p, the Medium preset (62 FPS average, 52 FPS minimum) is the only configuration that maintains playable performance, though it is less consistent than the 1080p Medium result.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B370 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The Arc B370 scores 1184 in 3DMark Steel Nomad, placing it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (1186, 0.2% faster), the ATI Radeon HD 5770 (1190, 0.5% faster), and the AMD Radeon HD 7650M (1192, 0.7% faster).

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-14700F a bottleneck in this configuration?

A: No. The CPU is significantly more powerful than the GPU, ranking in the 91st percentile of all CPUs. The GPU is the limiting factor, as evidenced by the consistent frame rate drops across resolutions, which would not occur if the CPU were the bottleneck.

Q: What resolution should a player use with this combo?

A: The data supports 1080p as the primary resolution, as it offers the widest range of playable settings. The 1440p Medium preset is viable for players who prefer higher resolution over maximum smoothness, while 4K should be avoided entirely due to sub-60 FPS performance at all settings.

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

A: This combo ranks 3422 out of 3710 tested combinations for Dave The Diver, placing it in the bottom 7.8% of all configurations. This low ranking is attributable to the GPU, as the CPU would rank much higher in isolation.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700F is a 20-core, 28-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.10 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. Its cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 33 MB of shared L3 cache. The CPU supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory on a dual-channel bus, and it features 16 PCIe Gen 5 lanes. Its 65 W TDP is modest for a 20-core processor, and it has a launch MSRP of $359.

In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU delivers strong results: a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 35122, a Geekbench multi-core score of 19620, and a Passmark multi-thread score of 41317. Its single-core performance is also solid, with Cinebench R23 single-core at 4958 and Geekbench single-core at 2429. These scores place the CPU in the 91st percentile of all processors, with an average benchmark score of 53620, putting it just behind the Intel Xeon 6505P (53701, delta -0.2%) and ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X (53288, delta 0.6%).

Despite this processing power, the CPU's role in Dave The Diver is minimal because the game is not CPU-intensive at the settings and resolutions tested. The frame rates are consistently limited by the GPU, and the data shows no evidence of CPU-related stuttering or frame pacing issues. The CPU's 20 cores and 28 threads are far more than this game requires, and the benchmark results indicate that the processor is essentially idle waiting for the GPU to complete its rendering tasks. For players who might upgrade the GPU in the future, the i7-14700F would provide ample headroom, but in this current combination, its capabilities are almost entirely unrealized.