Dave The Diver

Dave The Diver is not a demanding title by modern standards, but the benchmark data for the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus paired with the Intel Arc B570 reveals a system that is more than capable of delivering a fluid experience at every resolution tested. The combination places at rank 2977 out of 3710 tracked combos, which puts it in the middle of the pack for this specific game, but the absolute frame rates tell a story of consistent performance. The measured results show that this setup is well-balanced for the game’s workload, with the CPU providing ample headroom and the GPU dictating the final output as resolution increases.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus is a 24-core, 24-thread processor built on the Arrow Lake Refresh architecture using a 3 nm process from TSMC. It runs at a base clock of 3.70 GHz and boosts up to 5.50 GHz, which is substantial headroom for a game like Dave The Diver that relies on single-thread performance for its core simulation logic. The processor’s Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2439 and multi-core score of 44253 indicate that it has far more compute capacity than this game can utilize. In practice, this means the CPU is never the bottleneck in the measured FPS data; even at 1080p Low, where the GPU has the least work, the average FPS of 167 is a clear sign that the processor is feeding frames without constraint.

The 36 MB of shared L3 cache and 3 MB per-core L2 cache are generous, but the game’s simple asset streaming and physics demands mean that cache size has minimal impact on the results. The Passmark single-thread score of 5068 and the multithread score of 68574 further confirm that this chip is overkill for the game’s workload. What matters more is the boost clock behavior; with a 5.50 GHz ceiling, the CPU can quickly handle the game’s frame-to-frame logic, which is why the FPS numbers stay high even when the GPU is not stressed. The processor’s 96th percentile ranking among all CPUs reinforces that it is a top-tier part, but in this game, its role is simply to stay out of the way.

Comparing to nearest rivals, the Intel Xeon 6520P has an identical average benchmark score (93786 vs 93785), with a 0% delta, meaning the 270K Plus is statistically on par with that server chip in synthetic tests. The AMD EPYC 4564P is 1.5% faster on average, and the EPYC 9175F is 1.9% faster, but these differences are irrelevant for Dave The Diver. The game’s measured FPS does not scale with these synthetic deltas because the workload is light; the CPU’s single-core performance, which is a strong point, is what carries the experience. The data suggests that any of these CPUs would produce identical frame rates in this title, making the 270K Plus’s high core count a non-factor for this specific game.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Arc B570 is a Battlemage-generation GPU with 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus, providing 380.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its base and boost clocks are both 2500 MHz, and it offers 2304 shading units, 144 TMUs, and 80 ROPs. For Dave The Diver, which is a 2D side-scrolling adventure with detailed sprites and water effects, the GPU’s raw compute is more than sufficient. The Passmark G3D score of 14195 and the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2649 place it in the 65th percentile of all GPUs, which is respectable but not elite. The nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile, is 0.1% faster on average score, and the Intel Arc A750 is 0.1% slower, showing that this card sits in a narrow performance band.

The 10 GB VRAM is ample for this game, as the art style and texture sizes are modest. The memory bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s is not stressed at any resolution tested, which is why the FPS drops are relatively small when moving from 1080p to 1440p. The GPU’s DirectX 12 Ultimate support and Vulkan 1.4 capability ensure it can handle the game’s API requirements without issue. The measured FPS at 1080p Ultra is 110, which is well above the 60 FPS target for smooth play, and even at 4K Ultra, the card manages 55 FPS, indicating that the GPU is the limiting factor only at the highest settings and resolution.

The FP32 performance of 11.52 TFLOPS and the texture rate of 360.0 GTexel/s are more than enough for the game’s pixel art and lighting effects. The card’s 150 W TDP and dual-slot design are typical for this class, but the performance data shows it punches above its weight in this title. The Passmark DirectX 11 score of 118 and DirectX 12 score of 72 suggest that the card is more efficient in older APIs, but Dave The Diver does not push the GPU to its limits, so these differences do not manifest in the measured results. The GPU’s role here is to provide consistent frame pacing, which it does admirably across all settings.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data shows a clear pattern of scaling from 1080p to 4K, which reveals the GPU as the primary limiting component at higher resolutions. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 124 at 1920x1080 to 94 at 2560x1440, a 24% decrease, and then to 63 at 3840x2160, another 33% drop. This is a classic GPU-bound scenario, where the CPU’s performance headroom is irrelevant because the GPU is working harder to fill more pixels. The same trend holds for Medium settings, where FPS goes from 139 to 105 to 70, and for Ultra, where it goes from 110 to 83 to 55. The Low settings show the largest absolute numbers, with 167 FPS at 1080p, 125 at 1440p, and 84 at 4K, but the percentage drops are similar.

The fact that the FPS does not halve when going from 1080p to 4K (which would be a 75% reduction in pixel count) indicates that the game is not purely pixel-bound. The 4K results are consistently above 50 FPS at all settings except Ultra, which suggests that the GPU’s 10 GB VRAM and 380 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient, but the compute units are being saturated. The 1440p to 4K drop is steeper than the 1080p to 1440p drop for most settings, which is expected as the pixel count increases by 2.25x from 1440p to 4K. This scaling behavior confirms that the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus is not a bottleneck; if it were, the FPS would remain flat or drop more sharply at lower resolutions.

The integer math and floating point scores of the CPU (175986 and 229491 on Passmark) are irrelevant here because the game’s logic is light. The data shows that the GPU’s fill rate and shading units are what determine the frame rate at higher resolutions. For example, the 4K Medium result of 70 FPS with a min of 60 and max of 81 indicates that the GPU can maintain a playable experience, but the variance suggests occasional dips when the scene complexity increases. Overall, the resolution scaling points to a balanced system where the GPU is the ceiling at 4K, but the CPU provides enough headroom for the GPU to reach its potential at 1080p and 1440p.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this system in Dave The Diver?

A: The data shows that 2560x1440 at Ultra settings yields 83 FPS on average, which is smooth and visually rich. If you prefer higher frame rates, 1920x1080 at Ultra gives 110 FPS, but the 1440p result is still well above the 60 FPS threshold for comfortable play, making it the sweet spot for quality and performance.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU in this game?

A: No. The measured FPS scales consistently with resolution, and the CPU’s Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2439 is far above what the game requires. At 1080p Low, the system hits 167 FPS, which indicates the CPU is feeding the GPU without any constraint, and the FPS drops at higher resolutions are entirely due to GPU load.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B570 compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Arc B570 has an average benchmark score of 20556, which is 0.1% slower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (20534) and 0.1% faster than the Intel Arc A750 (20582). These deltas are negligible, meaning the card is essentially on par with those GPUs in general performance, though game-specific results may vary.

Q: Is 10 GB of VRAM enough for Dave The Diver at 4K?

A: Yes. The measured 4K High result of 63 FPS and 4K Medium result of 70 FPS show that the 10 GB GDDR6 memory is not a limiting factor. The game’s textures and effects do not exceed the memory capacity, and the 380.0 GB/s bandwidth is sufficient to maintain stable frame rates at that resolution.

Q: What is the impact of the CPU’s 24 cores on this game?

A: Minimal. Dave The Diver is not a heavily threaded title, and the CPU’s 24 threads are largely unused. The Passmark multithread score of 68574 is impressive, but the game’s performance is dictated by the GPU. The CPU’s high boost clock of 5.50 GHz is more relevant for the game’s single-threaded logic, which is why frame rates remain high even at low settings.

Q: How does the system rank among all tested combos for this game?

A: The combo ranks 2977 out of 3710 tracked combinations, which places it in the lower-middle range. However, this ranking is based on a combination of CPU and GPU scores, and the measured FPS shows that the system still delivers excellent playable performance, with no result below 55 FPS at any setting.

Settings Recommendations

For the best balance of visual quality and performance, the Medium preset at 2560x1440 is the recommended starting point. The measured data shows 105 FPS on average with a minimum of 89 and maximum of 121, which provides a smooth experience with headroom for occasional scene complexity. At this setting, the game looks noticeably better than Low, and the frame rate is high enough to avoid any judder. If you have a 1080p monitor, the Ultra preset at 110 FPS is the best choice because it delivers the highest visual fidelity without sacrificing smoothness, and the GPU has enough power to maintain that frame rate consistently.

For 4K displays, the Medium preset at 70 FPS is the safest recommendation, as it stays above the 60 FPS threshold with a minimum of 60. The High preset at 63 FPS is also viable, but the lack of a reported minimum FPS makes it riskier. The Ultra preset at 55 FPS should be avoided if you are sensitive to frame pacing, as it dips below the 60 FPS target. The Low preset at 4K (84 FPS) is an option if you prioritize frame rate over visuals, but the visual downgrade is likely not worth the extra 14 FPS compared to Medium. For most users, Medium at 1440p or Ultra at 1080p will provide the most satisfying experience.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates across all settings. The Low preset averages 167 FPS, which is exceptionally smooth and indicates that the GPU is not heavily taxed. The Medium preset averages 139 FPS with a minimum of 118 and maximum of 160, providing a wide performance envelope. The High preset averages 124 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 110 FPS. These numbers show that even at the most demanding 1080p setting, the system has over 100 FPS of headroom, making it ideal for high refresh rate monitors.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but begin to show the GPU’s workload. The Low preset averages 125 FPS, and the Medium preset averages 105 FPS with a minimum of 89 and maximum of 121. The High preset averages 94 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 83 FPS. This resolution offers a good compromise between visual fidelity and performance, with all settings staying above 80 FPS. The data indicates that the GPU’s shading units are starting to be utilized more fully, but the system still has plenty of performance for a fluid experience.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the clear limiting factor. The Low preset averages 84 FPS, which is still playable, and the Medium preset averages 70 FPS with a minimum of 60 and maximum of 81. The High preset averages 63 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 55 FPS. These results show that 4K Ultra is the only configuration that dips below 60 FPS, and even then, it is only slightly below. The Medium preset at 4K is the most reliable option for a consistent 60 FPS experience, while the Low preset offers a higher frame rate at the cost of visual quality. The measured data across all resolutions confirms that this system is well-suited for Dave The Diver, with no configuration producing an unplayable result.