Dave The Diver

Dave The Diver is a game that favors GPU throughput over CPU muscle, and the pairing of an AMD Ryzen 5 2600 with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 produces a dataset where the graphics card is the clear performance driver at every resolution tested. The measured frame rates are exceptionally high, with the lowest average being 136 FPS at 4K Ultra, indicating that this combination never struggles to maintain smooth gameplay. The data shows a system where the RTX 4080 is operating well within its comfort zone, while the Ryzen 5 2600 provides enough support to avoid becoming a bottleneck in this particular title.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 2600 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen+ architecture, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 3.90 GHz. Its benchmark profile places it in the 75th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 21,484. This places it in a competitive position against its nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core Ultra 5 228V, which scores 21,440 (0.2% slower), and the Intel Core i9-11900H, which scores 21,367 (0.5% slower). The CPU has 16 MB of shared L3 cache and supports dual-channel DDR4 memory with a bandwidth of 46.9 GB/s.

In the context of Dave The Diver, the CPU's role is to maintain a baseline level of performance that does not hinder the GPU. The benchmark results indicate that this processor succeeds at that task, as the frame rates scale consistently with resolution and settings changes. The game does not appear to be heavily threaded, but the 6-core, 12-thread configuration ensures that background tasks and game logic do not create stalls. The processor's PassMark single-thread score of 2,239 suggests adequate per-core performance for this adventure game, which typically relies on a few primary threads for physics and game state updates.

The data reveals that the CPU is not the limiting component in this configuration. Across all measured rows, the transition from 1080p to 4K results in a frame rate drop that is consistent with GPU-bound rendering, not CPU overhead. For instance, at High settings, the average FPS drops from 213 at 1080p to 194 at 1440p, and finally to 154 at 4K. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the 1080p and 1440p results would be much closer together, as the processor would struggle to feed frames to the GPU. Instead, the steady decline with resolution indicates that the Ryzen 5 2600 is providing frames faster than the RTX 4080 can render them at lower resolutions.

Furthermore, the CPU's 65W TDP and 12 nm process node are modest by modern standards, but they do not translate to performance issues here. The processor's cache hierarchy, with 512 KB L2 per core and 16 MB shared L3, is sufficient for the game's data access patterns. The benchmark scores for integer math (44,518) and floating-point math (22,942) in PassMark show a balanced workload capability that aligns well with the demands of an adventure game like Dave The Diver. There is no evidence in the FPS data that the CPU's 2018-era architecture is holding back the 2022-era GPU, making this a surprisingly well-matched pairing for this specific title.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is the dominant component in this system, with a massive 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth. Its Ada Lovelace architecture, built on a 5 nm process at TSMC, includes 9,728 shading units and 76 RT cores. The GPU's benchmark performance is stellar, with an average score of 54,247, placing it in the 86th percentile of all GPUs. Its closest rival is the RTX 4080 SUPER, which scores 54,209 (0.1% slower), and the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X, which scores 54,828 (1.1% faster). The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6,567 further confirms its high-end positioning.

In Dave The Diver, the RTX 4080's role is to render the game's 2D and 3D elements with high fidelity. The data shows that the GPU is the primary driver of frame rates, as evidenced by the significant differences between settings at the same resolution. At 4K, the average FPS ranges from 188 at Low settings to 136 at Ultra, a spread of 52 FPS that is entirely attributable to GPU load. The GPU's boost clock of 2505 MHz and memory clock of 1400 MHz (22.4 Gbps effective) allow it to process the game's textures and effects without breaking a sweat.

The VRAM capacity of 16 GB is more than sufficient for this game, even at 4K Ultra, where the highest memory pressure would occur. The data does not indicate any stuttering or frame drops that would suggest memory overflow; the minimum FPS recorded is 146 at 4K Medium, which is still well above playable thresholds. The GPU's PassMark G3D score of 34,457 and compute score of 20,671 demonstrate its raw power, which translates directly to the high average FPS numbers observed. The RTX 4080 is clearly the star of this show, and the measured results show it delivering exceptional performance without any signs of thermal or power throttling, given the data available.

The GPU's performance is so high that it effectively saturates the frame rate at 1080p, where the average FPS at Low settings reaches 236. This suggests that the RTX 4080 is capable of far more than this game demands, and the limiting factor at lower resolutions becomes the CPU's ability to issue draw calls. However, the data shows that even this limitation is not severe, as the 1080p results remain consistently above 200 FPS across all settings. The GPU's 320W TDP and triple-slot design are high-end specifications, but they are justified by the performance on display.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K reveals a clear picture of where the bottleneck lies in this system. At High settings, the average FPS goes from 213 at 1080p to 194 at 1440p (a 9% decrease) and then to 154 at 4K (a 21% decrease from 1440p). This pattern indicates that the GPU is the limiting component, as the frame rate scales inversely with the number of pixels rendered. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the drop from 1440p to 4K would be much smaller, as the GPU would become the constraining factor.

The data shows a consistent scaling trend across all settings. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 236 at 1080p to 215 at 1440p (a 9% decrease) and then to 188 at 4K (a 13% decrease from 1440p). At Medium settings, the values are 222, 202, and 172, respectively, with the 4K result showing a 15% drop from 1440p. At Ultra settings, the same progression is 204, 186, and 136, with a 27% drop from 1440p to 4K. This widening gap from Low to Ultra at 4K suggests that the GPU's workload increases disproportionately with higher settings, as expected.

The scaling behavior confirms that the RTX 4080 is the primary determinant of performance. The 1080p results are likely CPU-bound, as the GPU is capable of rendering frames faster than the processor can submit them. This is evidenced by the relatively small difference between Low (236 FPS) and Ultra (204 FPS) at 1080p, a 13% spread. In contrast, at 4K, the difference between Low (188 FPS) and Ultra (136 FPS) is 28%, showing that the GPU is fully engaged. The Ryzen 5 2600's role is to keep up with the GPU's demands, and the data shows it does so adequately, though it does cap the maximum frame rates at lower resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a detailed look at performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the average FPS ranges from 236 at Low settings to 204 at Ultra. The Medium preset yields an average of 222 FPS, with a minimum of 188 and a maximum of 255, indicating some variance but no concerning dips. The High preset averages 213 FPS. These numbers show that the system is well above the 144 Hz refresh rate typical of gaming monitors, making the experience exceptionally smooth.

At 2560x1440, the average FPS remains high, with Low settings at 215, High at 194, Medium at 202 (min 171, max 232), and Ultra at 186. The drop from 1080p is noticeable but modest, with the Ultra preset losing 18 FPS on average. This resolution is where the RTX 4080 starts to show its strength, as it maintains high frame rates while rendering more pixels. The 1440p data suggests that this is the sweet spot for this combo, offering a balance between visual fidelity and performance that exceeds most users' needs.

At 3840x2160, the average FPS drops further, with Low at 188, High at 154, Medium at 172 (min 146, max 198), and Ultra at 136. The Ultra preset at 4K is the only configuration that falls below 144 FPS, but it remains well above the 60 FPS standard for console-like gameplay. The Medium preset at 4K, with an average of 172 FPS and a minimum of 146, is particularly impressive, showing that even at the highest resolution, the system can maintain high refresh rates. The data across all rows indicates a consistent and predictable performance envelope, with no anomalous results or signs of instability.

How This Combo Ranks

In the context of all tested combinations for Dave The Diver, this pairing of AMD Ryzen 5 2600 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 ranks 969 out of 3710 combos. This places it in the top 26% of all configurations tested, which is a strong showing given the age of the CPU. The rank is driven primarily by the GPU's exceptional performance, as the RTX 4080's 86th percentile score (54,247) is significantly higher than the CPU's 75th percentile score (21,484). The combo rank suggests that this system outperforms the vast majority of setups, despite the CPU being a potential weak link.

The rank of 969 out of 3710 indicates that there are 968 combos that perform better, likely featuring newer, higher-end CPUs paired with similar or better GPUs. However, the data shows that the Ryzen 5 2600 does not significantly detract from the overall experience. The frame rates achieved are so high that the CPU's limitations are only visible at 1080p, where the GPU is underutilized. This rank confirms the RTX 4080's ability to carry the system, and it suggests that users with this combo can expect excellent performance in Dave The Diver.

Comparatively, the GPU's nearest rivals, such as the RTX 4080 SUPER (0.1% slower) and the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X (1.1% faster), would likely produce similar combo rankings when paired with the same CPU. The CPU's nearest rivals, like the Intel Core Ultra 5 228V (0.2% slower) and the Intel Core i9-11900H (0.5% slower), would also not change the outcome significantly, as the GPU dominates performance. The combo rank of 969 is a clear indication that this system is well above average, and the data supports it as a high-performance pairing for this game.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the best experience for this combo is achieved at the Medium settings preset across all resolutions. At 4K Medium, the system delivers an average of 172 FPS with a minimum of 146, which is an ideal balance of visual quality and performance. The High preset at 4K drops to 154 FPS, which is still excellent, but the Medium preset offers a 12% performance increase with a likely minimal visual difference in this art style. The Ultra preset at 4K, averaging 136 FPS, is the only option that dips below the 144 FPS threshold, making it less ideal for high-refresh-rate displays.

At 1440p, the Medium preset is also the standout choice, with an average of 202 FPS and a minimum of 171. The High and Ultra presets at this resolution are close behind at 194 and 186 FPS, respectively, so users could comfortably choose Ultra for maximum fidelity while still staying above 180 FPS. At 1080p, the Medium preset (222 FPS) is nearly indistinguishable from Low (236 FPS) in terms of smoothness, but it offers better visuals. The data suggests that Medium is the sweet spot for this game, as it provides the best combination of frame rate stability and visual fidelity without sacrificing performance.

For users with a 4K 120 Hz or 144 Hz display, the Medium preset is the clear recommendation, as it maintains an average FPS well above the refresh rate while keeping the minimum above 140. For those with a 1440p 144 Hz display, the Ultra preset is viable, with an average of 186 FPS that leaves ample headroom. Ultimately, the measured data indicates that this combo is so powerful that users can prioritize visual quality without worrying about frame rate drops, making Medium the recommended setting for a flawless experience, with Ultra as a viable alternative at lower resolutions.