Dave The Diver

Dave The Diver is not a demanding title by modern standards, but the combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus and the Intel Arc B390 produces a peculiar performance profile that hinges almost entirely on the graphics solution. The data places this pairing at rank 2538 out of 2867 tested combos in this game, putting it in the bottom 12 percent of all configurations. That low standing is not a reflection of the CPU, which is a top-tier part, but rather a direct consequence of the Arc B390 being an integrated graphics processor that behaves like a very old discrete GPU. The benchmark results indicate that this combo is playable at 1080p, acceptable at 1440p with compromises, and only borderline viable at 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 2538 out of 2867 is a clear signal that this is not a high-performance gaming pairing for Dave The Diver. To put that in perspective, the CPU alone sits in the 96th percentile among all processors, while the GPU sits in the 9th percentile. The massive gap between those two numbers explains the overall rank: the processor is doing essentially all the heavy lifting, and the graphics solution is holding the entire system back. In practical terms, this combo finishes behind roughly 88 percent of all tested configurations for this specific game, which is a stark result for a CPU that otherwise competes with server-class Xeon and EPYC parts.

The nearest CPU rivals in average benchmark score—Intel Xeon 6520P, AMD EPYC 4564P, AMD EPYC 9175F, and AMD EPYC 4565P—are all within 2.1 percent of the Core Ultra 7 270K Plus in synthetic tests, but none of that matters here because the GPU bottleneck is so severe. The Arc B390’s nearest GPU rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, GeForce 800M, GT 625 OEM, and GT 710, with deltaPct values of 1.3 to 2.7 percent. Those are all legacy or entry-level mobile parts from over a decade ago, which tells you exactly where the graphics performance lands. The data shows that this combo ranks where it does because the GPU is effectively a decade-old performer in a modern system.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics processor built on the Xe3-LPG architecture, using the Panther Lake chip and fabricated on Intel’s 3 nm process. Its base clock is 300 MHz and it boosts to 2500 MHz, with a thermal design power of just 80 W. The memory configuration is entirely system-shared, meaning there is no dedicated VRAM; the GPU uses whatever system memory bandwidth is available, which is labeled as "System Dependent." This is a fundamental limitation for gaming, as the lack of dedicated video memory and the reliance on shared system memory create a bottleneck that no amount of CPU power can overcome.

The GPU has 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 raster operation units, along with 12 ray tracing cores. Its pixel rate is 60.00 GPixel/s and texture rate is 120.0 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance of 7.680 TFLOPS. In a synthetic test like 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, it scores 1482, which places it alongside the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 and GT 625 OEM in raw performance. For Dave The Diver, this means the GPU is the limiting factor at every resolution and setting combination measured. The iGPU supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, so it has modern API support, but the hardware throughput is simply too low to deliver high frame rates at demanding settings.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a predictable but steep drop when moving from 1080p to 4K. At High settings, the average frame rate goes from 81 FPS at 1920x1080, to 61 FPS at 2560x1440, and down to 41 FPS at 3840x2160. That is a 24.7 percent drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 32.8 percent drop from 1440p to 4K. The scaling pattern is consistent across all settings, which confirms that the GPU is the bottleneck. A CPU-bound system would show a much smaller difference between resolutions, but here the frame rate falls almost linearly with the increase in pixel count.

At Low settings, the numbers are 108 FPS at 1080p, 82 FPS at 1440p, and 55 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 4K is 49.1 percent, which is substantial but not as severe as the 55.6 percent drop seen at Ultra settings (from 72 FPS to 36 FPS). The data indicates that even at the lowest settings, the integrated GPU cannot maintain a high frame rate at 4K, and the gap between Low and High settings narrows as resolution increases. At 1080p, the difference between Low and High is 27 FPS, but at 4K that difference shrinks to 14 FPS. This suggests that at higher resolutions, the GPU is so saturated that reducing settings has diminishing returns.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers playable frame rates across all settings. Low settings average 108 FPS, which is smooth for a casual adventure game. Medium settings average 91 FPS with a minimum of 77 and maximum of 104, providing a solid experience with some headroom. High settings average 81 FPS, still well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. Ultra settings drop to 72 FPS, which remains acceptable for this genre, though it shows the GPU starting to struggle with the highest preset. The data indicates that 1080p is the sweet spot for this combo, with all settings producing frame rates that are comfortably playable.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance becomes more marginal. Low settings average 82 FPS, which is still good, but the gap from 1080p is noticeable. Medium settings average 68 FPS with a minimum of 58 and maximum of 78, meaning there are moments where the frame rate dips close to the 60 FPS line. High settings average 61 FPS, which is exactly at the threshold of smoothness, and any scene with more graphical complexity could push it below 60. Ultra settings average 54 FPS, which is below the ideal target and may feel slightly stuttery in fast-moving sections. The data shows that 1440p requires dropping to Low or Medium settings to maintain a consistently smooth experience.

At 3840x2160, the performance drops to a level that is barely playable. Low settings average 55 FPS, which is technically playable but with noticeable compromises in visual quality. Medium settings average 46 FPS with a minimum of 39 and maximum of 53, meaning the frame rate can dip into the 30s during demanding scenes. High settings average 41 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target and will be noticeable in gameplay. Ultra settings average 36 FPS, which is the lowest measured result and would be a poor experience for most players. The data suggests that 4K is only viable at Low settings, and even then, the frame rate is not ideal.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus is a 24-core, 24-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake Refresh architecture, built on TSMC’s 3 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, with a TDP of 125 W. The cache configuration includes 192 KB of L1 per core, 3 MB of L2 per core, and 36 MB of shared L3 cache. Memory support is DDR5 with dual-channel configuration and a bandwidth of 115.2 GB/s, and it supports ECC memory. The CPU also includes integrated graphics in the form of Arc Xe-LPG Graphics with 64 execution units, but the system uses the separate Arc B390 GPU.

In synthetic benchmarks, the Core Ultra 7 270K Plus performs exceptionally well. It scores 44253 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 2439 in singlecore, and 24461 in Cinebench R20 multicore with 3453 in singlecore. Passmark results show a multithread score of 68574 and a single-thread score of 5068. The CPU’s average benchmark score is 93785, which puts it in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, and its nearest rivals are all server-class processors from Intel and AMD. For Dave The Diver, the CPU is massively overqualified; the game is not CPU-intensive, and the data shows that the frame rates are almost entirely determined by the GPU. The CPU’s role here is to ensure that there are no frame drops from processing overhead, which it does effortlessly, but it cannot compensate for the GPU’s limitations.

FAQ

Q: Is this combo good for Dave The Diver at 1080p?

A: Yes, at 1920x1080 the combo delivers playable frame rates across all settings, ranging from 72 FPS at Ultra to 108 FPS at Low. Medium settings average 91 FPS, and even the most demanding preset stays above 70 FPS.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming?

A: Barely, and only at Low settings, which averages 55 FPS. Medium settings drop to 46 FPS, High to 41 FPS, and Ultra to 36 FPS, all of which are below the ideal 60 FPS target and will result in noticeable stuttering.

Q: What is the main bottleneck in this system?

A: The Intel Arc B390 integrated GPU is the clear bottleneck. It scores in the 9th percentile among all GPUs and is comparable to the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710, while the CPU sits in the 96th percentile. The GPU limits performance at every resolution and setting.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Core Ultra 7 270K Plus has an average benchmark score of 93785, which is essentially tied with the Intel Xeon 6520P at 93786, and it trails the AMD EPYC 4564P by 1.5 percent, the EPYC 9175F by 1.9 percent, and the EPYC 4565P by 2.1 percent. These differences are negligible for gaming.

Q: What settings should I use for 1440p?

A: For a smooth experience at 2560x1440, stick to Low or Medium settings. Low averages 82 FPS, while Medium averages 68 FPS with a minimum of 58. High settings average 61 FPS, which is borderline, and Ultra drops to 54 FPS.

Q: Does the GPU have dedicated video memory?

A: No, the Intel Arc B390 uses system-shared memory with a bandwidth that is system dependent. This is a major limitation and contributes to the low performance compared to dedicated graphics cards.