Dave The Diver

# Dave The Diver — Intel Core i7-14700F + Intel Arc B390

The Intel Core i7-14700F paired with the Intel Arc B390 ranks 2,538 out of 2,867 tested combinations in Dave The Diver, placing it in the lower 12% of all recorded configurations. This combo rank of 2,867 total entries means the pairing sits well below the median performer, with the integrated-class Arc B390 clearly acting as the primary constraint. The measured frame rates across all resolutions and settings presets confirm that this configuration is playable at lower resolutions and settings, but struggles to maintain smooth performance at higher demands, making it a niche pairing for this particular adventure title.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's position at 2,538 out of 2,867 tested combinations in Dave The Diver indicates a bottom-decile performance profile. To contextualize this rank, consider that the CPU alone sits in the 91st percentile among all processors, with an average benchmark score of 53,620. The GPU, however, languishes in the 9th percentile among all graphics cards, with an average score of just 1,482 from the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test. The massive gap between the CPU's high percentile and the GPU's low percentile explains why this combo ranks so poorly — the processor is capable of far more than the graphics solution can deliver.

Comparing the GPU to its nearest rivals in the benchmark database reveals how marginal the Arc B390's performance really is. The Arc B390 scores 1,482, which is only 1.3% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1,463), 1.5% ahead of the GeForce 800M (1,460), 2.5% ahead of the GeForce GT 625 OEM (1,446), and 2.7% ahead of the GeForce GT 710 (1,443). These are all entry-level or legacy mobile parts, underscoring that the Arc B390's raw graphics throughput is closer to decade-old integrated solutions than to any modern discrete GPU. In Dave The Diver, this translates to a configuration that barely crosses the 60 FPS threshold at 1080p on Low settings (108 FPS) but falls dramatically as resolution and quality increase.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700F is a 20-core, 28-thread processor from the Core 14th Gen series, built on Intel's Raptor Lake architecture with a 10 nm process node. Its base clock is 2.10 GHz, boosting up to 5.40 GHz, and it carries a 65 W TDP. The 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 in a dual-channel configuration, with PCIe Gen 5 providing 16 lanes from the CPU. It launched in January 2024 with a launch MSRP of $359.

In CPU-centric benchmarks, the i7-14700F demonstrates strong multi-threaded capability. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score is 35,122, while the single-core score is 4,958. Geekbench results show 19,620 multi-core and 2,429 single-core. PassMark multithread testing yields 41,317, with integer math at 155,808 and floating-point math at 107,005. These numbers place the CPU in the 91st percentile of all processors, with nearest rivals including the Intel Xeon 6505P (53,701, -0.2% delta), Intel Xeon Phi 7290 (53,469, +0.3%), AMD Ryzen 9 7900X (53,288, +0.6%), and AMD EPYC 7313P (53,206, +0.8%).

For Dave The Diver, the CPU's role is largely supportive rather than limiting. The game's measured FPS at 1080p Low (108 FPS) and 1080p High (81 FPS) suggests that even at lower settings, the Arc B390 is the bottleneck, not the i7-14700F. The CPU's 20 cores and 28 threads provide ample headroom for game logic, physics, and background tasks, but the adventure genre typically doesn't stress multi-core processors as heavily as other titles. The high boost clock of 5.40 GHz helps with single-threaded workloads that games often rely on, though the data shows the GPU's constraints dominate the final frame rates.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, manufactured on Intel's 3 nm process node. It features 1,536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, 24 raster operation units, and 12 ray tracing cores. The base clock is 300 MHz with a boost clock of 2,500 MHz, producing a pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s. Floating-point performance is rated at 7.680 TFLOPS for FP32 and 15.36 TFLOPS for FP16 (2:1). The GPU uses system-shared memory, with bandwidth described as "System Dependent," and has a TDP of 80 W. It supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

The Arc B390's benchmark results are stark: a single 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1,482 places it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are all NVIDIA parts from the GT 500M and GT 700M era, with the GT 520MX, GeForce 800M, GT 625 OEM, and GT 710 all within 1.3% to 2.7% of the Arc B390's score. This is a graphics solution that, despite its modern architecture and API support, performs at the level of integrated graphics from roughly a decade ago in raw throughput.

In Dave The Diver, the GPU's limitations are immediately apparent in the measured FPS. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 108 FPS, but this drops to 91 FPS at Medium, 81 FPS at High, and 72 FPS at Ultra. At 1440p, the range narrows from 82 FPS (Low) to 54 FPS (Ultra). At 4K, the GPU is clearly overwhelmed: 55 FPS at Low, 46 FPS at Medium, 41 FPS at High, and 36 FPS at Ultra. The shared memory architecture means there's no dedicated VRAM, which further limits texture and geometry handling at higher resolutions. The 12 ray tracing cores are present but unlikely to provide meaningful acceleration in this title given the overall low throughput.

FAQ

Q: Why does this combo rank so low despite having a powerful CPU?

A: The combo ranks 2,538 out of 2,867 in Dave The Diver because the Intel Arc B390 GPU sits in the 9th percentile of all graphics cards with an average benchmark score of 1,482, while the i7-14700F CPU is in the 91st percentile with an average score of 53,620. The GPU's performance is the limiting factor, dragging down the entire configuration's ranking.

Q: How does the Arc B390 compare to its closest GPU rivals?

A: The Arc B390's 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1,482 is only 1.3% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1,463), 1.5% higher than the GeForce 800M (1,460), 2.5% higher than the GT 625 OEM (1,446), and 2.7% higher than the GT 710 (1,443). These are all legacy or entry-level parts, highlighting the Arc B390's low absolute performance.

Q: What is the best playable setting at 1080p for this combo?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers the highest average FPS at 108, followed by Medium at 91 FPS, High at 81 FPS, and Ultra at 72 FPS. For smooth gameplay, Low or Medium are recommended, as they stay well above 60 FPS with Medium also providing a 77 FPS minimum.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Dave The Diver?

A: At 3840x2160, the best average FPS is 55 on Low settings, dropping to 46 on Medium, 41 on High, and 36 on Ultra. Only the Low preset approaches playable frame rates, and even then, the 55 FPS average is below the 60 FPS target many players prefer.

Q: How does the CPU's multi-core performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The i7-14700F's average benchmark score of 53,620 is statistically tied with its nearest rivals: the Intel Xeon 6505P scores 53,701 (-0.2% delta), the Intel Xeon Phi 7290 scores 53,469 (+0.3%), the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X scores 53,288 (+0.6%), and the AMD EPYC 7313P scores 53,206 (+0.8%). All are within 1% of each other.

Q: What is the FPS drop from 1080p to 4K at the same settings?

A: At Low settings, FPS drops from 108 at 1080p to 55 at 4K, a reduction of 53 FPS (49%). At Medium, it drops from 91 to 46 (45 FPS reduction). At High, from 81 to 41 (40 FPS reduction). At Ultra, from 72 to 36 (36 FPS reduction).

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of resolution scaling that points squarely at the GPU as the limiting component. From 1080p to 1440p to 4K, the frame rates drop significantly at every settings preset, with the percentage declines being steeper at lower settings where the CPU has more headroom to push frames.

At Low settings, the average FPS goes from 108 at 1080p to 82 at 1440p (a 26 FPS drop, or 24% reduction) and then to 55 at 4K (a further 27 FPS drop, or 33% reduction from 1440p). The total drop from 1080p to 4K is 53 FPS, or 49%. At Medium settings, the progression is 91 → 68 → 46, with a 25% drop to 1440p and a 32% drop from 1440p to 4K, totaling a 49% reduction from 1080p to 4K. High settings show 81 → 61 → 41, with a 25% drop to 1440p and a 33% drop to 4K, also a 49% total reduction. Ultra settings follow the same trend: 72 → 54 → 36, a 25% drop to 1440p and a 33% drop to 4K, for a 50% total reduction.

The consistency of these percentage drops across all settings presets is telling. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we'd expect the FPS to scale less with resolution at lower settings (where the CPU has more work to do per frame) and more at higher settings. Instead, the uniform ~25% drop from 1080p to 1440p and ~33% drop from 1440p to 4K across all presets indicates that the GPU's pixel throughput is the dominant constraint. The Arc B390's 60.00 GPixel/s pixel rate and system-shared memory bandwidth simply cannot keep up with the increasing pixel count, regardless of the quality preset.

Settings Recommendations

Given the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1080p, the Medium preset provides the best balance of quality and performance: 91 FPS average with a 77 FPS minimum and 104 FPS maximum. This stays comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold while offering better visual fidelity than Low. The High preset at 81 FPS average is also viable, but the 10 FPS drop from Medium may not justify the visual gains for most players. Ultra at 72 FPS average is playable but pushes the minimum below what's recorded, and the lack of min/max data for Ultra makes it harder to recommend.

At 1440p, the situation tightens. Low settings deliver 82 FPS average, which is smooth, but Medium drops to 68 FPS average with a 58 FPS minimum. The 58 FPS minimum means there will be occasional dips below 60 FPS, though the average remains playable. High at 61 FPS average is borderline, with the minimum not recorded but likely dipping further. Ultra at 54 FPS average is below the 60 FPS target and not recommended for smooth play.

At 4K, none of the presets achieve a 60 FPS average. Low comes closest at 55 FPS, followed by Medium at 46 FPS, High at 41 FPS, and Ultra at 36 FPS. For players who must use 4K, Low is the only option that approaches playability, and even then, it's marginal. The data suggests that 1080p Medium is the sweet spot for this combination, offering 91 FPS average with a 77 FPS minimum, which is the highest average FPS among all presets that still maintains a minimum above 60 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: 108 FPS average (no min/max recorded)
• Medium: 91 FPS average, 77 FPS minimum, 104 FPS maximum
• High: 81 FPS average (no min/max recorded)
• Ultra: 72 FPS average (no min/max recorded)

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: 82 FPS average (no min/max recorded)
• Medium: 68 FPS average, 58 FPS minimum, 78 FPS maximum
• High: 61 FPS average (no min/max recorded)
• Ultra: 54 FPS average (no min/max recorded)

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: 55 FPS average (no min/max recorded)
• Medium: 46 FPS average, 39 FPS minimum, 53 FPS maximum
• High: 41 FPS average (no min/max recorded)
• Ultra: 36 FPS average (no min/max recorded)

The only preset with complete min/max data is Medium, which appears at all three resolutions. At 1080p Medium, the range is 77-104 FPS, showing a 27 FPS spread. At 1440p Medium, the range is 58-78 FPS, a 20 FPS spread. At 4K Medium, the range is 39-53 FPS, a 14 FPS spread. This narrowing spread at higher resolutions further confirms the GPU's role as the bottleneck — as resolution increases, the frame rate variance compresses because the GPU is consistently saturated, leaving less room for FPS spikes.

The progression of average FPS across resolutions at each settings preset is consistent: Low goes 108 → 82 → 55, Medium goes 91 → 68 → 46, High goes 81 → 61 → 41, and Ultra goes 72 → 54 → 36. The delta between settings at any given resolution is also consistent: at 1080p, the gap from Low to Ultra is 36 FPS; at 1440p, it's 28 FPS; at 4K, it's 19 FPS. This compression of the settings gap at higher resolutions is another indicator that the GPU's pixel fill rate is the primary limiter, as the quality preset has less impact when the resolution itself is already overwhelming the hardware.