Dave The Diver

Dave The Diver presents an interesting case study for the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 paired with the Intel Arc B370, as the data indicates a configuration that is firmly entry-level when measured against the broader benchmark database. The measured frame rates show that this combo is capable of delivering playable sessions, but the experience is heavily dependent on resolution and settings, with the GPU emerging as the definitive limiting factor.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience for this combination in Dave The Diver is achieved at 1080p with the Medium preset. This configuration delivers an average of 82 FPS, which is comfortably above the threshold for smooth gameplay. The Medium preset also provides the only measured frame time data for the 1080p tier, with a minimum of 70 FPS and a maximum of 94 FPS, indicating a stable performance envelope that avoids significant dips.

While the Low preset at 1080p yields a higher average of 98 FPS, the visual compromise is substantial. The High preset at 1080p, averaging 73 FPS, is also viable and offers better visual fidelity while maintaining a solid frame rate. However, the Medium preset strikes the best balance, as the 82 FPS average provides ample headroom above the 60 FPS standard, ensuring that the frame pacing remains consistent and the experience feels responsive.

For users with 1440p displays, the Medium preset remains the most practical choice, producing an average of 62 FPS with a minimum of 52 FPS and a maximum of 71 FPS. This is playable, but the lower minimum frame rate indicates that demanding scenes could cause noticeable stutter. The Low preset at 1440p offers a more secure 74 FPS average, which might be preferable for those who prioritize smoothness over visual quality. At 4K, the data suggests that only the Low preset, with its 49 FPS average, approaches playability, while all other settings fall below the 45 FPS mark, making them less suitable for a consistent experience.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is the primary bottleneck in this configuration. Its benchmark profile is minimal, with a single 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1184, placing it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs. This position is telling; the nearest rivals include the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 and the AMD Radeon HD 7650M, which are significantly older mobile parts. The Arc B370’s performance is essentially tied with these legacy components, with deltas of -0.2% and -0.7% respectively, highlighting its entry-level standing.

The GPU operates with a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2400 MHz. The memory configuration is "System Shared," meaning it relies on the host system’s DDR5 memory rather than dedicated VRAM. This is a critical detail, as the memory bandwidth is listed as "System Dependent," which can lead to variable performance depending on the system’s memory configuration. The GPU has 1280 shading units, 40 TMUs, and 20 ROPs, along with 10 ray tracing cores. The FP32 performance is rated at 6.144 TFLOPS, which is modest for modern gaming.

In Dave The Diver, the GPU’s limitations are evident in the frame rate scaling. The game is not particularly demanding by modern standards, yet the Arc B370 struggles to maintain high frame rates at higher resolutions. The measured data shows that the GPU’s compute capabilities are insufficient to keep up with the demands of 4K rendering, where even the Low preset only manages 49 FPS. This indicates that the architecture, while supporting DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4, does not have the raw throughput needed for high-resolution gaming.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the specific context of Dave The Diver, this combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and the Intel Arc B370 ranks 2642nd out of 2867 tested combos. This places it in the bottom 8% of all configurations, which is a poor showing that aligns with the GPU’s low percentile ranking. The CPU itself is much stronger, sitting in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, but the GPU’s weakness drags the overall combo ranking down significantly.

The disparity between the CPU and GPU performance is stark. The Core Ultra 5 235 has an average benchmark score of 46062, which puts it in competition with parts like the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 and the Intel Core i9-13900HX, with deltas of 0.1% and -0.1% respectively. In contrast, the Arc B370’s average score of 1184 is barely above the lowest tier of GPUs. This mismatch means that the system is severely unbalanced, with the CPU being held back by the GPU in every gaming scenario.

The combination rank of 2642 suggests that there are only 225 other combinations that perform worse in this specific game. This is a clear indicator that the system is not well-suited for a title like Dave The Diver at high settings, and users would need to accept significant compromises to achieve a playable experience.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive look at how this system performs across different resolutions and settings. At 1080p, the frame rates range from a high of 98 FPS on Low to a low of 65 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset sits in the middle with 82 FPS, while High delivers 73 FPS. The frame time data for Medium shows a minimum of 70 FPS and a maximum of 94 FPS, suggesting a generally smooth experience with occasional dips.

Moving to 1440p, the performance drops noticeably. The Low preset yields 74 FPS, Medium produces 62 FPS, High manages 55 FPS, and Ultra falls to 49 FPS. The Medium preset’s frame times are 52 FPS minimum and 71 FPS maximum, which indicates more variance than at 1080p, potentially leading to perceptible stuttering in busy scenes. The gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 25 FPS, showing that the settings have a significant impact on performance.

At 4K, the system struggles to maintain playable frame rates. The Low preset is the only one that breaks the 45 FPS barrier, averaging 49 FPS. Medium averages 41 FPS, High averages 37 FPS, and Ultra drops to 33 FPS. The Medium preset’s frame times at 4K are 35 FPS minimum and 47 FPS maximum, which is a narrow band but at a level that many players would find too slow for a smooth experience. The data clearly shows that 4K is not a viable option for this configuration if a consistent 60 FPS is desired.

Resolution Scaling

The scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals the GPU’s dominance as the limiting factor. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 98 FPS. This drops to 74 FPS at 1440p, a reduction of 24.5%, and then to 49 FPS at 4K, a further reduction of 33.8% from 1440p. The cumulative drop from 1080p to 4K is 50%, which is a steep decline that points to the GPU being overwhelmed by the increasing pixel count.

For the Medium preset, the scaling is similar. The 1080p average of 82 FPS falls to 62 FPS at 1440p, a 24.4% decrease, and then to 41 FPS at 4K, a 33.9% decrease from 1440p. The pattern is consistent across all settings, with the 4K performance being roughly half of the 1080p performance. This consistent halving suggests that the GPU’s fill rate and memory bandwidth are the primary constraints, as the workload scales directly with resolution.

The fact that the frame rate drops by approximately 50% when moving from 1080p to 4K indicates that the system is not CPU-bound at any point. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect to see a smaller performance gap between resolutions, as the CPU’s workload would be similar regardless of resolution. Instead, the sharp decline confirms that the Arc B370 is the bottleneck, and its limited ROP count and shared memory bandwidth cannot keep up with the demands of higher resolutions.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Dave The Diver with this system?

A: The data shows that 1080p is the only resolution where the system can consistently exceed 60 FPS on most settings. At 1440p, the Medium preset averages 62 FPS but dips to 52 FPS, while at 4K, even the Low preset only reaches 49 FPS.

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

A: The Arc B370’s 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1184 is nearly identical to the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (1186) and the ATI Radeon HD 5770 (1190), with performance deltas of -0.2% and -0.5% respectively. This places it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more responsible for the performance in this game?

A: The GPU is the primary limiting factor. The CPU ranks in the 89th percentile, while the GPU sits in the 5th percentile. The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K drops by 50%, which is typical of a GPU-bound scenario.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for the Medium preset?

A: For the Medium preset, the minimum FPS is 70 at 1080p, 52 at 1440p, and 35 at 4K. These are the only settings where min/max frame times were provided.

Q: How does this combo rank against all other tested configurations?

A: This combination ranks 2642nd out of 2867 combos in Dave The Diver, placing it in the bottom 8% of all tested systems.

Q: Does the system support modern graphics APIs?

A: Yes, the Intel Arc B370 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, which ensures compatibility with modern game engines.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 is a 14-core, 14-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, built on a 3 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, with a 65W TDP. The CPU’s cache hierarchy includes 192 KB of L1 cache per core, 3 MB of L2 cache per core, and 24 MB of shared L3 cache. This is a desktop part that supports DDR5 memory with a dual-channel bus and a bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s.

In terms of raw compute, the Core Ultra 5 235 is a strong performer. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score is 14769, and its single-core score is 2085. These figures place it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 46062. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 and the Intel Core i9-13900HX, which are both high-end mobile and desktop parts, showing that the Core Ultra 5 235 holds its own in CPU-bound tasks.

However, in Dave The Diver, the CPU’s role is diminished due to the GPU bottleneck. The game’s frame rates are consistently limited by the Arc B370, meaning that the CPU’s capabilities are not fully utilized. The Passmark multi-thread score of 37816 and the single-thread score of 4516 indicate that the CPU can handle complex simulations and physics, but the game’s rendering demands outpace the GPU’s ability to deliver frames. The high single-thread performance ensures that the game’s logic and AI won’t cause stutters, but the overall experience is still constrained by the graphics hardware.

The CPU’s 14 cores and 14 threads provide ample processing power for background tasks and game logic, but this does not translate into higher frame rates when the GPU is the limiting factor. The data shows that the system is balanced toward the CPU, but this is not beneficial in a GPU-bound scenario. For users looking to improve performance, upgrading the GPU would yield far greater gains than any CPU change, as the current processor has significant headroom left untapped.