Dave The Diver

Dave The Diver, an adventure title released in 2023, shows a surprisingly demanding side when paired with the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and Intel Arc B570. The benchmark data reveals a configuration that is consistently playable across all tested resolutions, but the scaling pattern exposes a clear shift in bottleneck behavior as pixel count rises. At 1080p, the system delivers high refresh rates, while 4K pushes the Arc B570 to its limits, indicating that the GPU is the primary constraint in the most demanding scenarios.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a predictable and significant drop as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At 1080p with High settings, the system averages 124 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440, the average falls to 94 FPS, a reduction of 24%. At 4K, the average drops further to 63 FPS, which is a 49% decrease from the 1080p result. This scaling pattern is typical for a game where the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth become increasingly critical at higher pixel counts.

The drop from 1440p to 4K is particularly steep, suggesting that the Arc B570's 10 GB GDDR6 memory and 380.0 GB/s bandwidth are being taxed heavily. The 4K High setting result of 63 FPS is just above the 60 FPS threshold, while the 4K Ultra setting falls below it at 55 FPS. This indicates that at 4K, the GPU is the limiting component, and the CPU's substantial resources are not being fully utilized.

At 1080p, the picture is different. The 167 FPS Low setting result and 139 FPS Medium setting are high enough that the CPU's role becomes more apparent. The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus, with its 24 cores and 24 threads, provides enough headroom to prevent a CPU bottleneck at these lower resolutions. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1080p (167 FPS to 110 FPS) shows a 34% performance hit, which is more attributable to GPU workload than CPU limitations.

The data suggests that for players targeting 4K, the Arc B570 is the deciding factor. The system cannot maintain 60 FPS at Ultra settings in 4K, but it does achieve 63 FPS at High. At 1440p, the system is comfortably above 60 FPS at all settings, with Ultra at 83 FPS. The 1080p results are excellent for high-refresh displays, with even Ultra settings exceeding 110 FPS.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a high-end desktop processor with 24 cores and 24 threads, based on the Arrow Lake Refresh architecture. Its base clock is 3.70 GHz, and it can boost up to 5.80 GHz. The CPU's benchmark scores place it in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 84003. This strong performance is reflected in its Cinebench R23 results, which show a multicore score of 51731 and a single-core score of 7303.

In Dave The Diver, the CPU's role is most evident at 1080p, where the frame rates are highest. The 167 FPS Low setting result indicates that the processor can feed the GPU with enough data to maintain high frame rates. The 5.80 GHz boost clock is likely a key factor here, as single-threaded performance is often critical for game logic and draw call submission. The 24 threads provide ample parallelism for background tasks, but the game's primary thread benefits from the high clock speed.

Compared to its nearest rivals, the Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is marginally ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, with a deltaPct of 0.2%. It also outperforms the AMD EPYC 4584PX and AMD EPYC 9135 by 1.1% and 1.2%, respectively. However, the AMD EPYC 7F72 is slightly faster, with a deltaPct of -1.3% from the 290K Plus's perspective. These differences are small, suggesting that the CPU is not a differentiating factor in this game's performance when paired with the Arc B570.

The CPU's 36 MB of shared L3 cache and 115.2 GB/s memory bandwidth are sufficient for the game's data access patterns. The processor's 3 nm process node and 125 W TDP indicate an efficient design that can sustain high clocks without excessive power draw. In Dave The Diver, the CPU appears to be a non-issue, providing more than enough performance to avoid bottlenecking the GPU at any resolution.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570 is the clear limiting factor in this configuration, particularly at higher resolutions. The GPU features 2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 80 raster output pipelines. Its 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus provides 380.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's boost clock is 2500 MHz, and it has a TDP of 150 W.

The Arc B570's benchmark scores show a mixed picture. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 2649, and its Geekbench Vulkan score is 96844. The PassMark G3D score is 14195, placing it in the 65th percentile of all GPUs. Its average benchmark score is 20556, which is nearly identical to its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile, with a deltaPct of 0.1%. The Intel Arc A750 is also very close, with a deltaPct of -0.1%.

In Dave The Diver, the GPU's performance dictates the playable settings at each resolution. At 4K, the GPU delivers 84 FPS on Low, 70 FPS on Medium, 63 FPS on High, and 55 FPS on Ultra. The Medium setting has a minimum FPS of 60, indicating that frame times are fairly consistent. The Ultra setting at 55 FPS shows that the GPU is struggling to maintain smooth performance at the highest visual quality.

At 1440p, the GPU's performance is more comfortable. The Arc B570 delivers 125 FPS on Low, 105 FPS on Medium, 94 FPS on High, and 83 FPS on Ultra. The Medium setting shows a minimum of 89 FPS and a maximum of 121 FPS, suggesting a stable frame rate. These results indicate that 1440p is the sweet spot for this GPU, providing high frame rates with all settings.

The 1080p results are strong, with the GPU achieving 167 FPS on Low, 139 FPS on Medium, 124 FPS on High, and 110 FPS on Ultra. The Medium setting's minimum of 118 FPS and maximum of 160 FPS show a wide range, but the average is solid. The GPU's 11.52 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 360.0 GTexel/s texture rate are sufficient for the game's demands at this resolution.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Dave The Diver at 4K with smooth performance?

A: Yes, but not at the highest settings. The measured data shows 63 FPS at High settings and 70 FPS at Medium settings in 3840x2160. The Ultra setting drops to 55 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth play.

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU and GPU combination?

A: The data suggests 2560x1440 is the optimal resolution. At this resolution, the system achieves 94 FPS on High settings and 83 FPS on Ultra settings, providing a good balance between visual quality and performance.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B570 compare to its nearest rivals in benchmark scores?

A: The Arc B570 has an average benchmark score of 20556. This is 0.1% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile, 0.1% lower than the Intel Arc A750, 0.4% higher than the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M, and 0.5% lower than the AMD Radeon R9 M390X.

Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus a bottleneck for the Arc B570?

A: No, the CPU does not appear to be a bottleneck. The processor's strong single-core performance, with a boost clock of 5.80 GHz, ensures it can keep up with the GPU at all resolutions. The scaling pattern shows the GPU becoming the limiting factor at higher resolutions.

Q: What are the minimum FPS figures for the Medium settings at each resolution?

A: The measured data includes minimum FPS for Medium settings only. At 3840x2160, the minimum is 60 FPS. At 2560x1440, the minimum is 89 FPS. At 1920x1080, the minimum is 118 FPS.

Q: How does the system's performance rank among all tested combinations?

A: The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and Intel Arc B570 ranks 2282 out of 2867 tested combinations for Dave The Diver. This places it in the lower half of all configurations for this specific game.

Settings Recommendations

The benchmark data provides clear guidance on the optimal settings for each resolution. At 3840x2160, the High preset offers the best experience, achieving 63 FPS. The Medium preset is also viable at 70 FPS, but it comes with a visual quality reduction. The Ultra preset should be avoided at this resolution, as it drops to 55 FPS, which may result in noticeable stuttering.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset is recommended for the best visual experience, as it delivers 83 FPS. The High preset is also excellent at 94 FPS, offering a good balance for those who prefer higher frame rates. The Medium preset at 105 FPS is a solid choice for competitive play, but the visual fidelity is lower.

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is the clear recommendation, providing 110 FPS. This is high enough for most displays, and the visual quality is maximized. The High preset at 124 FPS is also excellent, and the Medium preset at 139 FPS is suitable for 144 Hz displays. The Low preset at 167 FPS is only recommended for those seeking the absolute highest frame rates.

The data indicates that the system can handle the game's highest settings at 1080p and 1440p, but not at 4K. Players targeting 4K should use the High preset for a smooth experience, while those with lower resolution displays can enjoy the full Ultra experience.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data is as follows, organized by resolution and settings:

3840x2160 (4K)

• Low: 84 FPS average
• Medium: 70 FPS average, 60 FPS minimum, 81 FPS maximum
• High: 63 FPS average
• Ultra: 55 FPS average

2560x1440 (1440p)

• Low: 125 FPS average
• Medium: 105 FPS average, 89 FPS minimum, 121 FPS maximum
• High: 94 FPS average
• Ultra: 83 FPS average

1920x1080 (1080p)

• Low: 167 FPS average
• Medium: 139 FPS average, 118 FPS minimum, 160 FPS maximum
• High: 124 FPS average
• Ultra: 110 FPS average

These numbers show a consistent pattern of performance scaling. The 1080p results are all above 100 FPS, even at Ultra settings. The 1440p results are all above 80 FPS, with the Medium setting providing a minimum of 89 FPS. The 4K results are more varied, with Low and Medium settings providing smooth performance, High being borderline, and Ultra falling below the 60 FPS threshold.

The minimum FPS data for Medium settings is particularly useful for understanding frame consistency. At 4K, the minimum of 60 FPS matches the average of 70 FPS, indicating some frame drops. At 1440p, the minimum of 89 FPS is close to the average of 105 FPS, showing better consistency. At 1080p, the minimum of 118 FPS is well below the average of 139 FPS, but still high enough for smooth gameplay.

The data shows that this configuration is capable of running Dave The Diver well at 1080p and 1440p, with the Arc B570 being the limiting factor at 4K. The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus provides ample CPU performance to support the GPU at all settings. For the best balance of visual quality and frame rate, 1440p with Ultra settings is the recommended configuration.