Dave The Diver

Dave The Diver is a 2D adventure title that rarely stresses high-end hardware, but the combination of the Intel Core i9-14900K and Intel Arc B390 produces a surprisingly playable experience across most settings, with the GPU acting as the clear performance limiter throughout the resolution range.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for this combo shows a steady decline as resolution increases, which is typical behavior when the graphics card becomes the primary bottleneck. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the system delivers 81 FPS average. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same High preset drops performance to 61 FPS, a reduction of approximately 24.7% from the 1080p result. At 3840x2160, the average falls further to 41 FPS, which represents a 49.4% loss compared to the 1080p High score.

This scaling pattern indicates that the Intel Arc B390 is the limiting component, not the Core i9-14900K. The CPU’s 24 cores and 32 threads are far more than this game requires, and its benchmark scores—like the Cinebench R23 multi-core result of 39399.5 and single-core result of 2262.5—suggest ample headroom for even the most demanding titles. The GPU, by contrast, ranks in the 9th percentile among all tested graphics cards, with an average benchmark score of 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. That low percentile explains why frame rates drop so sharply when pixel count rises.

Looking at the Low preset, the scaling is less severe but still GPU-bound. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 108 FPS. At 1440p Low, it drops to 82 FPS, a 24.1% decrease. At 4K Low, the average is 55 FPS, which is 49.1% lower than the 1080p Low result. These consistent percentage drops across presets reinforce the conclusion that the Arc B390’s rendering throughput—7.680 TFLOPS FP32 and 60.00 GPixel/s pixel rate—is the ceiling for this pairing.

The Medium preset provides the only complete min/max data in the measured set. At 1080p Medium, the average is 91 FPS with a minimum of 77 FPS and maximum of 104 FPS. At 1440p Medium, those figures become 68 FPS average, 58 FPS minimum, and 78 FPS maximum. At 4K Medium, the average drops to 46 FPS with a 39 FPS minimum and 53 FPS maximum. The min-to-max spread narrows as resolution increases, which is consistent with a GPU that is increasingly saturated at higher pixel counts.

Ultra settings show the steepest curve. From 72 FPS at 1080p, the average falls to 54 FPS at 1440p and then to 36 FPS at 4K. That 4K Ultra result is exactly half of the 1080p Ultra score, indicating that the GPU is scaling almost linearly with the pixel count increase from 2.07 million to 8.29 million pixels.

FAQ

Q: Is the Intel Core i9-14900K bottlenecking the Intel Arc B390 in Dave The Diver?

A: No. The data shows the GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU’s Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 39399.5 and single-core score of 2262.5 place it in the 95th percentile among all CPUs, far exceeding what this adventure game requires. The FPS drops at higher resolutions are consistent with GPU-bound behavior.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo?

A: Based on the measured rows, 1920x1080 provides the smoothest experience across all settings, with averages ranging from 72 FPS at Ultra to 108 FPS at Low. At 2560x1440, the combo remains playable on High and below, with 61 FPS average at High and 82 FPS at Low. At 3840x2160, only the Low preset achieves a playable 55 FPS average.

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

A: The Arc B390’s average benchmark score of 1482 is 1.3% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX’s 1463, 1.5% higher than the GeForce 800M’s 1460, 2.5% higher than the GT 625 OEM’s 1446, and 2.7% higher than the GT 710’s 1443. These are all extremely close scores, placing the Arc B390 in the same performance tier as those older entry-level discrete GPUs.

Q: Does the Core i9-14900K’s high core count help in this game?

A: The 24 cores and 32 threads are far more than needed. The game’s FPS results are consistent with a GPU-bound scenario, meaning additional CPU cores would not improve frame rates. The CPU’s PassMark single-thread score of 4697 and multi-thread score of 58674 show it is not a limiting factor.

Q: What is the difference between the Low and Ultra presets at each resolution?

A: At 1080p, Ultra delivers 72 FPS versus 108 FPS at Low, a 33.3% performance penalty for the highest preset. At 1440p, Ultra averages 54 FPS versus 82 FPS at Low, a 34.1% penalty. At 4K, Ultra averages 36 FPS versus 55 FPS at Low, a 34.5% penalty. The relative cost of Ultra remains consistent as resolution increases.

Q: Is this combo ranked highly among tested configurations?

A: No. The combo ranks 2538 out of 2867 tested combos in Dave The Diver, placing it in the bottom 11.5% of all configurations. This low ranking is driven entirely by the GPU’s weak performance, not the CPU.

How This Combo Ranks

The comboRankInGame field shows this configuration ranks 2538 out of 2867 tested combos, which places it in the lower tier of all systems measured for Dave The Diver. That rank of 2538 means roughly 88.5% of tested combos perform better in this game, while only about 329 combos rank below it. The rank is not surprising given that the GPU sits in the 9th percentile among all graphics cards, while the CPU sits in the 95th percentile among all processors.

The mismatch between CPU and GPU performance is stark. The Core i9-14900K’s average benchmark score of 79097 puts it just 0.3% behind the Core i9-14900KF (79371), 0.6% behind the Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus (79574), and 1.2% behind the AMD EPYC 7413 (80041). It is 1.7% ahead of the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 (77740). These rivals are all top-tier processors, and the i9-14900K’s 95th percentile ranking reflects that. In contrast, the Arc B390’s nearest rivals are the GT 520MX, GeForce 800M, GT 625 OEM, and GT 710—all legacy entry-level parts from over a decade ago.

In Dave The Diver specifically, the rank of 2538 suggests that most other GPU pairings, even with weaker CPUs, would outperform this combo because the game is not CPU-intensive. The measured FPS data confirms this: at 1080p High, the combo achieves 81 FPS, which is playable but far from the high refresh rates that stronger GPUs could deliver with the same CPU. The rank also means that users seeking higher frame rates would need to upgrade the GPU, not the CPU, as the i9-14900K is already among the fastest available.

Settings Recommendations

For the best balance of visual quality and performance, the Medium preset is the recommended choice across all resolutions. At 1920x1080 Medium, the combo delivers 91 FPS average with a 77 FPS minimum, which provides a smooth experience on standard 60 Hz displays and leaves headroom for 100 Hz panels. At 2560x1440 Medium, the 68 FPS average with a 58 FPS minimum is still playable on 60 Hz monitors, though users with high refresh rate displays may notice occasional dips below 60 FPS. At 3840x2160 Medium, the 46 FPS average with a 39 FPS minimum is borderline, so users targeting 4K should consider the Low preset instead.

The High preset offers a modest visual upgrade over Medium but costs roughly 11% performance at each resolution. At 1080p High, 81 FPS average is still smooth, and at 1440p High, 61 FPS average is acceptable for 60 Hz displays. However, 4K High drops to 41 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold for most users. The Ultra preset is not recommended for any resolution, as it provides diminishing returns while dropping frame rates to 72 FPS at 1080p, 54 FPS at 1440p, and 36 FPS at 4K.

For 4K users, the Low preset at 55 FPS average is the only option that approaches playability. At 1440p, either Medium (68 FPS) or High (61 FPS) works well depending on whether visual fidelity or frame rate consistency is prioritized. At 1080p, Medium (91 FPS) or High (81 FPS) are both excellent choices, with Low (108 FPS) available for users with 144 Hz displays who want maximum smoothness. The complete min/max data for Medium at all resolutions shows that the 1% lows are within 13-17% of the average, indicating reasonably stable frame pacing without severe stutters.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo produces its strongest results. The Low preset averages 108 FPS, which is the highest score in the entire measured set. Medium averages 91 FPS with a minimum of 77 FPS and maximum of 104 FPS. High averages 81 FPS, and Ultra averages 72 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra at 1080p is 36 FPS, meaning the most demanding preset costs about 33% of the Low preset’s performance.

At 2560x1440, performance drops noticeably but remains usable for most presets. Low averages 82 FPS, Medium averages 68 FPS with a minimum of 58 FPS and maximum of 78 FPS, High averages 61 FPS, and Ultra averages 54 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 28 FPS, which represents a 34.1% penalty for Ultra compared to Low. The Medium preset’s maximum of 78 FPS at 1440p is actually lower than the 1080p Ultra average of 72 FPS, highlighting how resolution scaling affects even mid-tier settings.

At 3840x2160, the combo struggles to maintain playable frame rates except at Low settings. Low averages 55 FPS, Medium averages 46 FPS with a minimum of 39 FPS and maximum of 53 FPS, High averages 41 FPS, and Ultra averages 36 FPS. The Medium preset’s minimum of 39 FPS is close to the Ultra average of 36 FPS, showing that even the mid-tier setting can dip into unplayable territory at 4K. The 4K Low result of 55 FPS is the only preset at this resolution that stays above 50 FPS average.

Comparing across resolutions, the Medium preset provides the most complete picture of scaling behavior. From 1080p Medium (91 FPS) to 1440p Medium (68 FPS) represents a 25.3% drop, and from 1440p to 4K Medium (46 FPS) represents a 32.4% drop. The total loss from 1080p to 4K at Medium is 49.5%, which is nearly identical to the High preset’s 49.4% loss from 81 FPS to 41 FPS. This consistency suggests the GPU scaling is resolution-bound rather than settings-bound.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i9-14900K is a 24-core, 32-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, built on Intel’s 10 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.20 GHz and a boost clock of 6.00 GHz, with a TDP of 125 W. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 36 MB of shared L3 cache. The CPU supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory in dual-channel configuration, and it includes Intel UHD Graphics 770 as integrated graphics.

In Dave The Diver, the CPU’s role is minimal because the game is not computationally demanding. The measured FPS data shows GPU-bound behavior at all resolutions and settings, meaning the i9-14900K is never the limiting factor. The CPU’s benchmark scores reinforce this: its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 39399.5 and single-core score of 2262.5 are far beyond what a 2D adventure title needs. Its Geekbench scores of 21697 multi-core and 2655 single-core, along with a PassMark multi-thread score of 58674 and single-thread score of 4697, all place it in the top percentile of processors.

The nearest rivals to the i9-14900K include the Core i9-14900KF (0.3% faster), Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus (0.6% faster), AMD EPYC 7413 (1.2% faster), and AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 (1.7% slower). These deltas are all within 2%, showing that the i9-14900K performs essentially identically to other top-tier desktop and mobile flagship CPUs. None of these rivals would produce different results in Dave The Diver because the game’s frame rates are dictated by the GPU.

The CPU’s 24 cores and 32 threads are far more than this game can utilize. Even at 1080p Low, where the CPU would theoretically have the most influence, the combo achieves 108 FPS, which is well below what the i9-14900K could support if paired with a stronger GPU. The Arc B390’s 1536 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 24 ROPs, running at a boost clock of 2500 MHz, simply cannot push more frames regardless of CPU headroom. For users considering this combo, the CPU should be viewed as a long-term investment for future GPU upgrades, not as a component that contributes to Dave The Diver’s performance today.