Dave The Diver

# Dave The Diver — AMD Ryzen 5 3600 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070

This pairing of AMD's Zen 2-based Ryzen 5 3600 with NVIDIA's Ampere-generation RTX 3070 delivers a striking range of frame rates in Dave The Diver, from 87 FPS at 4K Ultra to 262 FPS at 1080p Low. The data reveals a system that is heavily resolution-bound, with the CPU showing its age only at the lowest settings and highest frame rates, while the GPU remains the primary throughput driver across most configurations. The measured results place this combo at rank 1588 out of 3710 tested combinations, a solidly mid-pack position that suggests meaningful headroom for gameplay optimization.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and tells a clear story about where the bottleneck lives. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 196 at 1920x1080 to 147 at 2560x1440, then to 99 at 3840x2160 — a total reduction of 49.5% from the lowest to highest resolution. The scaling is nearly linear with pixel count, which indicates the RTX 3070 is the limiting component at higher resolutions; the GPU's shading units, texture units, and VRAM bandwidth are being taxed progressively as pixel throughput demands increase.

Looking at Low settings, the pattern intensifies. The system produces 262 FPS at 1080p Low, dropping to 197 FPS at 1440p Low (a 24.8% reduction) and then to 132 FPS at 4K Low (a 33.0% further drop). The 1080p Low result is the only configuration where the CPU's limits likely come into play — with the GPU barely stressed, the Ryzen 5 3600's six cores and twelve threads must generate frames as fast as possible, and the 262 FPS ceiling suggests the processor is the constraining factor here. At 4K Low, the GPU takes over as the bottleneck once again, since the frame rate is still well below what the CPU could theoretically feed.

The spacing between settings at each resolution reinforces this interpretation. At 4K, the spread from Low (132 FPS) to Ultra (87 FPS) is 45 FPS, a 34.1% performance penalty for maxing out quality. At 1440p, the same spread is 67 FPS (197 to 130), and at 1080p it is 89 FPS (262 to 173). As resolution decreases, the absolute difference between settings grows, which is consistent with a GPU that becomes less saturated at lower pixel counts, allowing CPU-bound frame generation to dominate the differential. The data suggests that players targeting 4K should expect the GPU to be the sole consideration, while 1080p players may find the CPU becoming relevant at lower presets.

CPU Role

The Ryzen 5 3600 is a six-core, twelve-thread processor based on the Zen 2 architecture, built on TSMC's 7 nm process. Its base clock is 3.60 GHz with a boost clock of 4.20 GHz, and it carries 32 MB of shared L3 cache. In synthetic benchmarks, this CPU achieves a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 15045 and a single-core score of 2124, placing it at the 71st percentile among all tested CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-1260P (average score 17007, deltaPct 0.2), the Intel Core i5-11400 (17067, deltaPct -0.2), and the AMD EPYC 7742 (16998, deltaPct 0.2) — indicating the 3600 sits in a tightly contested performance band where small deltas separate competitors.

In Dave The Diver, the CPU's role becomes evident primarily through the frame rate ceilings observed at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 262 FPS average, which is substantially higher than the 196 FPS at 1080p High. This 66 FPS gap (a 33.7% improvement) cannot be explained by GPU workload alone; the GPU is capable of far more than 262 FPS in this title, as evidenced by the 4K Low result of 132 FPS. The 1080p Low figure likely represents the practical limit of what the Ryzen 5 3600 can feed in terms of draw calls and game logic updates, given its single-thread performance. The single-core Cinebench R23 score of 2124 is modest by modern standards, and this is where the CPU's age shows.

At 1440p, the CPU still appears to exert some influence. The 197 FPS at Low settings is only 25% below the 1080p Low figure, while the 147 FPS at High is 25% below the 1080p High figure. This consistent scaling suggests that as resolution increases, the GPU becomes the primary limiter, but the CPU's frame generation capacity remains a secondary ceiling. At 4K, all settings produce results below 132 FPS, which is well within the CPU's capability envelope, so the GPU is unambiguously the bottleneck. The data implies that for this game, the Ryzen 5 3600 is sufficient for 4K play but may cap maximum frame rates for competitive 1080p gaming.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate achieved by this combo in Dave The Diver?

A: The highest measured average is 262 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the system delivers an average of 87 FPS, which is the lowest measured result across all configurations.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the primary bottleneck at 1440p High?

A: The 147 FPS at 1440p High, compared to 99 FPS at 4K High, indicates the GPU is the main limiter at this resolution, since the frame rate scales with pixel count rather than being capped by CPU performance.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested combinations?

A: The combo ranks 1588th out of 3710 tested combinations, placing it in the 43rd percentile of all tested systems.

Q: How much performance is lost going from Low to Ultra at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, dropping from Low (262 FPS) to Ultra (173 FPS) costs 89 FPS, a 34.0% reduction in average frame rate.

Q: Does the 4K Medium result include minimum and maximum frame rate data?

A: Yes, the 4K Medium configuration shows an average of 111 FPS, with a minimum of 94 FPS and a maximum of 127 FPS, providing the most complete frame time data in the measured set.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest performance across all settings. Low settings produce an average of 262 FPS, Medium averages 220 FPS with a minimum of 187 FPS and maximum of 252 FPS, High averages 196 FPS, and Ultra averages 173 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a consistent degradation of 42-47 FPS per step, with the Medium preset's minimum frame rate of 187 FPS still exceeding the Ultra average, indicating the GPU has ample headroom at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but show the GPU beginning to work harder. Low settings average 197 FPS, Medium averages 165 FPS with a range of 140 to 190 FPS, High averages 147 FPS, and Ultra averages 130 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 67 FPS, which is tighter than at 1080p, suggesting the GPU's pixel throughput is becoming a more significant factor. The Medium preset's minimum of 140 FPS is still well above the 60 FPS typical target, making this resolution comfortable for high refresh rate displays.

At 3840x2160, the system's performance drops to more moderate levels. Low settings average 132 FPS, Medium averages 111 FPS with a range of 94 to 127 FPS, High averages 99 FPS, and Ultra averages 87 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 45 FPS, and even the Ultra preset maintains an average above 85 FPS, which is respectable for 4K gaming. The Medium preset's minimum of 94 FPS indicates that frame pacing remains consistent, with no severe dips below the 90 FPS threshold that could cause perceptible stutter.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 1588 out of 3710 tested combinations places it in the middle of the distribution, but the percentile context is more informative. The Ryzen 5 3600 alone sits at the 71st percentile among all CPUs, while the RTX 3070 sits at the 61st percentile among all GPUs. The combined system rank of 1588/3710 (approximately the 43rd percentile) is lower than either individual component's percentile, which suggests that the pairing may not be optimally balanced for this particular game. The CPU's relatively modest single-thread performance may be holding back the GPU's potential in lower-resolution scenarios, while at higher resolutions the GPU becomes the limiting factor.

Comparing the GPU to its nearest rivals provides additional context. The RTX 3070 has an average benchmark score of 17208, with the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT scoring 17083 (deltaPct 0.7), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 scoring 17037 (deltaPct 1), and the NVIDIA Tesla K40c scoring 17468 (deltaPct -1.5). These deltas are all within 1.5% of the RTX 3070's score, indicating that the GPU's raw compute performance is closely matched by several other cards. In Dave The Diver, the measured results show that this GPU is capable of delivering high frame rates at all resolutions tested, but the combo's overall rank suggests that other pairings may achieve better balance.

The CPU's nearest rivals show a similar clustering. The Intel Core i7-1260P (17007, deltaPct 0.2), Intel Core i5-11400 (17067, deltaPct -0.2), and AMD EPYC 7742 (16998, deltaPct 0.2) all fall within 0.2% of the Ryzen 5 3600's average benchmark score of 17035. This tight grouping means that swapping the CPU for any of these alternatives would likely produce near-identical results in Dave The Diver, since the game's CPU demands are modest relative to the GPU workload. The data suggests that the combo's rank is more heavily influenced by the GPU's position than the CPU's, as the GPU has a wider performance delta to its nearest rivals.

Settings Recommendations

For players targeting the highest possible frame rates, the 1080p Low preset at 262 FPS is the clear choice, but this sacrifices visual fidelity for a marginal competitive advantage. The 1080p Medium preset at 220 FPS offers a better balance, with a minimum frame rate of 187 FPS that ensures smooth gameplay even in demanding scenes. The 1080p High preset at 196 FPS is also viable, and the jump from Medium to High costs only 24 FPS (10.9% reduction) while providing improved visual quality.

At 1440p, the Medium preset stands out as the optimal choice. The 165 FPS average with a 140 FPS minimum is the best combination of performance and stability at this resolution, and the 190 FPS maximum indicates the system can burst well above the average when needed. The High preset at 147 FPS is a reasonable alternative for players who prefer higher quality, but the 18 FPS difference (10.9% reduction) may not justify the visual gains. The Ultra preset at 130 FPS is still playable but begins to approach the threshold where frame drops could become noticeable on high refresh rate monitors.

For 4K gaming, the data suggests that the Medium preset at 111 FPS provides the best experience. The minimum of 94 FPS ensures that even the most demanding scenes remain above the 90 FPS threshold, and the 127 FPS maximum shows the system can deliver higher frame rates when the scene allows. The High preset at 99 FPS is a viable alternative for players who prioritize visual quality, but the 12 FPS difference (10.8% reduction) from Medium to High is modest. The Ultra preset at 87 FPS is the most demanding option and may cause occasional dips below 85 FPS, so it is recommended only for players with adaptive sync displays or those who prioritize image quality above all else.

GPU Role

The RTX 3070 is built on the Ampere architecture with a GA104 chip, manufactured on Samsung's 8 nm process. It features 5888 shading units, 184 texture mapping units, and 96 raster output units, along with 46 ray tracing cores and 184 tensor cores. The GPU's memory configuration includes 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its boost clock is 1725 MHz, and it achieves a pixel rate of 165.6 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 317.4 GTexel/s. The FP32 compute throughput is 20.31 TFLOPS.

In synthetic benchmarks, the RTX 3070 achieves a PassMark G3D score of 22214 and a Geekbench OpenCL score of 112821, placing it at the 61st percentile among all GPUs. Its average benchmark score of 17208 is closely matched by several rivals, as noted earlier. In Dave The Diver, the GPU's role is decisive at all resolutions above 1080p Low. The 4K results, ranging from 132 FPS at Low to 87 FPS at Ultra, demonstrate that the GPU's pixel throughput is the primary determinant of frame rate at this resolution. The 8 GB VRAM capacity appears sufficient for this game, as no texture streaming or memory-related performance anomalies are present in the measured data.

The GPU's memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s is likely a key factor in the 4K Medium result, where the system maintains a 111 FPS average with a 94 FPS minimum. The smooth frame pacing at this setting suggests that the VRAM bandwidth is adequate for the game's texture and geometry demands. At lower resolutions, the GPU's compute power becomes less relevant, and the CPU's frame generation capacity takes over as the limiting factor. This is evident in the 262 FPS at 1080p Low, which is likely constrained by the Ryzen 5 3600's single-thread performance rather than the GPU's capabilities. The RTX 3070's 20.31 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is more than sufficient for Dave The Diver's rendering requirements, and the data indicates that the GPU is rarely the bottleneck at 1080p with lower quality settings.