Dave The Diver

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 paired with the Intel Arc B390 integrated graphics presents a highly unusual combination for Dave The Diver. The CPU is a top-tier desktop processor, ranking in the 93rd percentile against all CPUs, while the GPU is an integrated solution that sits in the 9th percentile against all GPUs. This extreme bottleneck dictates the entire performance profile. The data shows that the experience is entirely framed by the GPU’s limits, making this a test of how playable a modern title can be on integrated graphics, even when paired with a high-end processor. The measured results indicate that while the game is playable, users must accept significant compromises in fidelity and resolution.

Settings Recommendations

The benchmark data provides clear evidence that the Low preset is the only reliable choice for a consistently smooth experience across all tested resolutions. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 108 FPS, which is the highest frame rate recorded in the entire dataset. This is the only configuration that pushes performance well beyond the 100 FPS threshold, offering a significant cushion above the Medium preset’s 91 FPS and the High preset’s 81 FPS. The 17 FPS gap between Low and Medium at 1080p is substantial, and it widens further at higher resolutions, making the performance cost of the higher preset difficult to justify.

For 2560x1440, the Low preset is again the only option that maintains a comfortable playable state, with an average of 82 FPS. The Medium preset drops to 68 FPS, and while still playable, it represents a 14 FPS loss for visual gains that are minimal in a 2D side-scrolling adventure. At 3840x2160, the situation becomes critical. The Low preset averages 55 FPS, which is the only configuration at 4K that stays above the 50 FPS mark. The Medium preset falls to 46 FPS, and the High preset drops to 41 FPS, both of which will be noticeably less fluid.

The Ultra preset is not a viable option for this combo. It produces the lowest scores in the entire dataset, ranging from 72 FPS at 1080p down to 36 FPS at 4K. The performance penalty for Ultra is steep, and the visual uplift in Dave The Diver’s pixel-art style is minimal. The data strongly suggests that the Ultra preset is designed for dedicated GPUs and is beyond the capabilities of the Arc B390. The best experience is firmly on the Low preset. It provides the highest average frame rates and ensures that the game remains responsive, even if it means sacrificing some visual flair. If a user insists on higher fidelity, the Medium preset at 1080p (91 FPS) is the only viable alternative, but the data clearly shows that Low is the optimal choice for this hardware pairing.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 is an exceptionally powerful processor, but its role in this pairing is almost entirely relegated to being a spectator. The CPU features 20 cores and 20 threads, a base clock of 2.40 GHz, and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. This processing power is reflected in its strong benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 42216 and a single-core score of 5960. In contrast, the Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics processor with a benchmark score that places it in the lowest percentile of all GPUs. The performance disparity is so vast that the GPU is the absolute limiting factor in every single measured scenario.

The data confirms this analysis. The CPU’s high core count and clock speeds are irrelevant to the final frame rates because the GPU cannot render frames fast enough to utilize them. The game’s performance is not being constrained by logical processing or draw calls; it is being constrained by pixel fill rate and shading throughput. The Arc B390 has a pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s, which are the hard limits for this game. In this context, the Core Ultra 7 265 is effectively idle, waiting for the GPU to deliver each frame.

This situation is common in CPU reviews but rare in a single, shipped product. The 20 threads and 30 MB of shared L3 cache are features that will never be stressed by Dave The Diver at these settings. The CPU’s high single-thread performance, evidenced by a PassMark single-thread score of 4689, does not translate into higher FPS because the GPU is the one that is fully saturated. The benchmark results indicate that this combo is a textbook example of a GPU-bound scenario. The CPU’s potential is entirely untapped, and any user considering this pairing for gaming should understand that the Core Ultra 7 265 is providing none of the gaming performance; it is simply the host platform for the Arc B390.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Dave The Diver at 4K resolution?

A: Yes, but only on the Low preset, where it achieves an average of 55 FPS. The Medium and High presets at 4K produce averages of 46 and 41 FPS, respectively, which are less smooth. The Ultra preset is not recommended, as it drops to 36 FPS.

Q: What is the highest average frame rate this system can achieve?

A: The highest average frame rate recorded in the data is 108 FPS, which occurs at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset. This is the only configuration in the dataset that exceeds the 100 FPS mark.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare to the Low preset at 1440p?

A: The difference is significant. The Low preset at 2560x1440 averages 82 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages only 54 FPS. This is a 28 FPS difference, representing a 34% performance drop for the higher visual settings.

Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 the reason for the low frame rates?

A: No. The data indicates the Intel Arc B390 integrated GPU is the limiting component. The CPU is a high-end processor with a 93rd percentile ranking, while the GPU is in the 9th percentile. The performance is entirely constrained by the GPU’s capabilities.

Q: What is the most consistent performance setting for this system?

A: The Low preset is the most consistent, offering the highest average FPS at all resolutions. It is the only preset that maintains an average above 55 FPS even at 3840x2160, providing a more stable and playable experience than the other options.

Q: Is the Medium preset at 1080p a good compromise?

A: The Medium preset at 1920x1080 averages 91 FPS, which is a playable frame rate. However, it is 17 FPS lower than the Low preset at the same resolution. For a 2D adventure game, the visual difference may not justify the 16% performance loss.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 and Intel Arc B390 ranks 2538 out of 2867 tested combos for Dave The Diver. This places it in the bottom 12% of all configurations tested on this benchmark database. The ranking is a direct reflection of the GPU’s performance, which is in the 9th percentile against all GPUs. While the CPU is in the 93rd percentile, its strength cannot compensate for the integrated graphics’ limitations.

The nearest GPU rivals for the Arc B390 are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1.3% faster), the NVIDIA GeForce 800M (1.5% faster), the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM (2.5% faster), and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 (2.7% faster). These are all older, low-end discrete or integrated parts from previous generations, which illustrates the Arc B390’s position in the market. This ranking confirms that the combo is designed for basic computing tasks, not for a gaming experience. The score of 2538 is a poor result, placing the system in the bottom tier of gaming performance.

The CPU’s nearest rivals, on the other hand, include the AMD EPYC 4464P (0.3% faster), the Intel Core Ultra 7 265F (0.3% slower), and the AMD EPYC 7343 (0.7% slower). This demonstrates that the Core Ultra 7 265 is a high-performance part in its own right. The disconnect between the CPU’s high rank and the combo’s low rank is the defining characteristic of this pairing. The data shows that the bottleneck is so severe that the CPU’s performance is effectively irrelevant to the final outcome. Users looking at this ranking should understand that the processor is not the issue; the integrated GPU is the sole reason for this low placement.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate data shows a classic pattern of GPU-bound scaling as resolution increases. The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial, confirming that the integrated Arc B390 is working at its absolute limit. At the Low preset, the system averages 108 FPS at 1920x1080. Moving to 2560x1440, the average drops to 82 FPS, a 26 FPS decrease. At 3840x2160, the average falls to 55 FPS, a further 27 FPS drop. This represents a 49% reduction in frame rate from 1080p to 4K, which is a significant performance penalty.

This pattern is consistent across all settings. At the Medium preset, the averages are 91 FPS at 1080p, 68 FPS at 1440p, and 46 FPS at 4K. The High preset shows 81 FPS at 1080p, 61 FPS at 1440p, and 41 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset is the worst, dropping from 72 FPS at 1080p to 54 FPS at 1440p and finally to 36 FPS at 4K. The consistent, linear drop in performance with increasing resolution is a direct indicator that the GPU is the limiting component. The CPU’s workload does not increase with resolution; only the GPU’s pixel processing load does.

The data clearly shows that the Arc B390 cannot handle the pixel count of 4K (3840x2160) while maintaining a high frame rate. The 55 FPS average on Low is the ceiling, and it is only marginally acceptable. The scaling behavior is a textbook example of a GPU bottleneck. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect to see similar frame rates across all resolutions, as the CPU’s workload would be the same. Instead, the frame rates plummet as resolution climbs, proving that the integrated graphics are the sole constraint. The practical takeaway is that users must lower resolution to gain performance, and even then, they are limited by the GPU’s capabilities.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following data represents the exact measured average FPS for the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 and Intel Arc B390 combination in Dave The Diver.

At 1920x1080:

• The Low preset achieves an average of 108 FPS.
• The Medium preset achieves an average of 91 FPS, with a minimum of 77 FPS and a maximum of 104 FPS.
• The High preset achieves an average of 81 FPS.
• The Ultra preset achieves an average of 72 FPS.

At 2560x1440:

• The Low preset achieves an average of 82 FPS.
• The Medium preset achieves an average of 68 FPS, with a minimum of 58 FPS and a maximum of 78 FPS.
• The High preset achieves an average of 61 FPS.
• The Ultra preset achieves an average of 54 FPS.

At 3840x2160:

• The Low preset achieves an average of 55 FPS.
• The Medium preset achieves an average of 46 FPS, with a minimum of 39 FPS and a maximum of 53 FPS.
• The High preset achieves an average of 41 FPS.
• The Ultra preset achieves an average of 36 FPS.

The data reveals a few key insights. First, the only preset that provides a playable experience at all three resolutions is Low, as it is the only one that stays above 55 FPS at 4K. Second, the Ultra preset is universally poor, never exceeding 72 FPS even at 1080p. Third, the Medium preset at 4K has a minimum FPS of 39, which indicates noticeable stuttering and inconsistency. The performance deltas between presets are consistent, with each step up in quality costing roughly 10-15 FPS at 1080p and 1440p. This breakdown confirms that the Arc B390 is the definitive bottleneck, and the experience is directly tied to the resolution and settings chosen.