Dave The Diver

Dave The Diver presents an interesting case study for the AMD Ryzen 5 3600 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 combination. The game, an adventure title, is not typically associated with demanding graphics, yet the data reveals a configuration that delivers exceptionally high frame rates across all tested resolutions. The RTX 4080, with its substantial hardware resources, appears to be operating well within its comfort zone, while the Ryzen 5 3600 provides a solid foundation that does not bottleneck the experience at the settings tested. The benchmark results indicate a system capable of far exceeding the refresh rates of most standard monitors, making it an interesting data point for users with high-refresh-rate displays or those who prioritize maximum frame rates.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture and manufactured on a 5 nm process at TSMC. This high-end GPU is equipped with 16 GB of GDDR6X memory, which operates across a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s. For a game like Dave The Diver, which does not feature vast, texture-heavy open worlds, this memory capacity and bandwidth are more than sufficient. The available VRAM is unlikely to be a limiting factor at any of the tested settings, as the game's data footprint is not large enough to stress the 16 GB pool. The GPU's 9728 shading units, 304 texture mapping units, and 112 render output units process the game's 2D and simple 3D elements with significant headroom.

The RTX 4080's clock speeds are a key element in its performance. The base clock is listed at 2205 MHz, with a boost clock of 2505 MHz. These high frequencies allow the GPU to handle the relatively lightweight rendering tasks in Dave The Diver with ease. The pixel rate is 280.6 GPixel/s and the texture rate is 761.5 GTexel/s, indicating a raw throughput that is far beyond what this specific game requires. The benchmark results confirm this, with the average frame rate at 1080p Ultra being 234 FPS, which is still far from the GPU's theoretical limits.

Interestingly, the GPU's benchmark scores show it is a powerful component. Its Passmark G3D score is 34457, and it holds the 86th percentile among all GPUs. However, the frame rates in Dave The Diver are so high that the game is likely not the primary stressor. The data suggests that the RTX 4080's role here is to provide an almost excessive amount of performance. The boost clock of 2505 MHz is the engine that drives the high FPS, and the 16 GB of GDDR6X memory ensures that there are no memory-related hitches. The GPU's performance in this game is less about overcoming a challenge and more about delivering a consistently smooth, high-speed experience.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured frame rates provide a clear picture of the system's capabilities at various configurations. At 1920x1080, the most common resolution, the performance is exceptionally high. With Low settings, the system averages 270 FPS. This drops to 254 FPS on Medium, 244 FPS on High, and 234 FPS on Ultra. The minimum FPS recorded at 1080p is 216 FPS, which occurred on Medium settings, indicating that even in more demanding scenes, the frame rate does not fall below a very high threshold.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains incredibly strong. The average FPS at Low settings is 246. This decreases to 231 FPS on Medium, 222 FPS on High, and 203 FPS on Ultra. The minimum FPS at this resolution is 196 FPS, again from the Medium preset. The difference between 1080p and 1440p is noticeable but not drastic, showing that the GPU has ample headroom even as pixel count increases by over 70%.

At 4K (3840x2160), the system still delivers frame rates that are well above the standard 60 FPS target. The Low preset averages 206 FPS, while the Medium preset averages 172 FPS. High settings yield an average of 154 FPS, and Ultra settings produce 136 FPS. The minimum FPS recorded at 4K is 146 FPS, which occurred on Medium settings. This is a significant result; even at the highest resolution with the most demanding preset, the average frame rate does not dip below 136 FPS. The data shows a consistent pattern where each step up in settings or resolution reduces the frame rate, but the absolute values remain very high, demonstrating the overpowered nature of this GPU for this title.

FAQ

Q: What is the lowest average frame rate this combo achieves in Dave The Diver?

A: The lowest average frame rate recorded is 136 FPS, which occurs at 3840x2160 resolution with Ultra settings. This shows that even the most demanding configuration tested remains far above the 60 FPS standard.

Q: How much faster is the 1080p Low preset compared to the 4K Ultra preset?

A: The 1080p Low preset averages 270 FPS, while the 4K Ultra preset averages 136 FPS. This represents a performance difference of 134 FPS, or approximately a 98.5% higher frame rate for the lower-resolution and less demanding settings.

Q: Is there a large performance gap between the High and Ultra presets at 1440p?

A: The data shows the High preset at 2560x1440 averages 222 FPS, while Ultra averages 203 FPS. This is a difference of 19 FPS, indicating that Ultra is a more demanding setting, but the system still maintains a very high level of performance.

Q: Does the system ever drop below 60 FPS in any of the tested scenarios?

A: No. The lowest minimum FPS recorded across all resolutions and settings is 146 FPS, which occurred at 3840x2160 with Medium settings. The system never approaches a frame rate that would be considered a performance concern.

Q: How does the RTX 4080's average benchmark score relate to its performance in this game?

A: The RTX 4080 has an average benchmark score of 54247 and holds the 86th percentile of all GPUs. This indicates it is a top-tier component, and its performance in Dave The Diver, with minimum FPS values above 146, is consistent with a GPU that is not being fully taxed by the game's requirements.

Q: What is the difference in average FPS between the 1080p and 4K resolutions on High settings?

A: At 1080p High, the average FPS is 244. At 4K High, the average FPS is 154. This shows a 90 FPS drop when moving from 1080p to 4K, a significant reduction that is still leaves the performance in a very playable range.

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

The scaling of frame rates from 1080p to 4K provides insight into the system's bottleneck. At High settings, the average FPS moves from 244 at 1080p, to 222 at 1440p, and finally to 154 at 4K. This represents a 36.9% drop in performance from 1080p to 4K. The pattern is similar for other settings. For Low, the drop is from 270 to 246 to 206, a 23.7% decrease from 1080p to 4K. For Medium, the averages are 254, 231, and 172, a 32.3% decrease. Finally, Ultra goes from 234 to 203 to 136, a 41.9% decrease.

These scaling patterns are crucial. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is relatively modest, with an average decrease of around 15-18 FPS across settings. However, the jump from 1440p to 4K is much more pronounced, with an average decrease of 50-70 FPS. This indicates that the system is becoming more GPU-bound at higher resolutions. The 4K resolution requires significantly more pixel processing power, which taxes the RTX 4080 to a greater degree. However, it is essential to note that even at 4K Ultra, the system still produces 136 FPS.

The data implies that at 1080p and 1440p, the CPU may be playing a more significant role in limiting the frame rate, as the GPU has enough headroom to render frames faster than the CPU can feed it. The relatively small FPS gains from High to Low settings at these resolutions (e.g., from 244 to 270 FPS at 1080p) suggest a CPU-related limit. In contrast, at 4K, the GPU becomes the primary limiting factor, as the cost of rendering each frame increases, and the FPS differences between settings become more pronounced. This analysis points to a balanced system where the CPU's Zen 2 architecture with 6 cores and 12 threads is sufficient to keep up with the GPU at lower resolutions, but the GPU's raw power is the deciding factor at 4K.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the Ultra preset is the most viable option for a premium experience, but it comes with a trade-off in frame rate. At 1080p Ultra, the system averages 234 FPS, and at 1440p Ultra, it averages 203 FPS. Even at 4K Ultra, the average FPS is a very playable 136. Given that the minimum FPS values are not recorded for the Ultra preset, the data does not show the worst-case performance, but the average scores suggest a highly responsive experience.

For users with a 144Hz monitor, the High preset at 4K is an excellent choice. The average FPS of 154 is above the 144Hz refresh rate, ensuring that the monitor can display all the frames the system renders. This provides a smooth and immersive visual experience with the added detail of High settings. If a user has a 240Hz monitor, the High preset at 1440p or 1080p would be more appropriate, as the system averages 222 and 244 FPS, respectively, which are close to or above the 240Hz target.

The Medium preset also shows strong results, with the only recorded minimum FPS values in the data. At 1440p Medium, the average is 231 FPS with a minimum of 196 FPS. At 4K Medium, the average is 172 FPS with a minimum of 146 FPS. This preset offers a good balance, ensuring that even in the most intense scenes, the frame rate stays high. However, given the sheer performance on display, the High preset at 4K or the Ultra preset at 1440p offers a better visual experience without sacrificing the high frame rates that this hardware can deliver. The recommendation is to prioritize the Ultra preset at 1080p or 1440p for maximum visual fidelity, or the High preset at 4K for a balance of resolution and detail.

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

The AMD Ryzen 5 3600 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the Zen 2 architecture, codenamed Matisse. It operates on the AM4 socket and has a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.20 GHz. The CPU's average benchmark score is 17035, and it holds the 71st percentile among all CPUs. Its nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i7-1260P with a score of 17007, show that it is a competitive mid-range processor, but for a game like Dave The Diver, its role is not to be a primary performance driver.

The game's performance data suggests that the CPU is not a significant bottleneck. At 1080p, which is often the most CPU-sensitive resolution, the system produces very high frame rates. For example, the average FPS at 1080p Low is 270, and at 1080p Ultra it is 234. If the CPU were severely limiting, we would expect to see a ceiling where frame rates plateau regardless of GPU settings. While there is a difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p (36 FPS), this difference is not as large as the one seen at 4K (70 FPS), which indicates the GPU is doing more work at higher resolutions.

The 6 cores and 12 threads are sufficient for this title, which likely does not use more than a few threads for its main game logic. The boost clock of 4.20 GHz provides adequate single-thread performance, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2124. The data indicates that the Ryzen 5 3600 provides a stable foundation, allowing the RTX 4080 to stretch its legs. The CPU's performance is adequate to avoid holding the GPU back at 1080p and 1440p, but the GPU becomes the clear limiting factor at 4K. The benchmark results show a well-matched pairing for this specific game, where the CPU is a capable partner to the high-end GPU.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database for Dave The Diver, this specific combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 3600 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 has a combo rank of 639 out of 3710 tested combinations. This places it in the top 17.2% of all tested system configurations for this game. This rank is a strong indicator of overall performance, showing that it is a high-performing combo that delivers frame rates well above what most users need.

The rank of 639 is interesting because it places the combo in a high tier, but not the very top. This can be attributed to the CPU. While the RTX 4080 is a top-tier GPU, ranking in the 86th percentile, the Ryzen 5 3600 is a more mid-range part, ranking in the 71st percentile. The combination of a high-end GPU with a mid-range CPU means that in some scenarios, particularly at lower resolutions, the CPU may limit the absolute maximum frame rate. However, as the data shows, the system still achieves incredibly high FPS, and the rank reflects a configuration that is significantly more powerful than the majority of others tested. The rank of 639 means that there are 638 other combos that perform better, likely featuring newer or more powerful CPUs that can push even higher frame rates in CPU-limited scenarios. For the vast majority of users, this combo's performance will be more than satisfactory, delivering a flawless experience in Dave The Diver.