Dave The Diver

Dave The Diver is not the kind of title that pushes hardware to its knees, but the benchmark data for the AMD Ryzen 5 5500 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 combination reveals a fascinating profile of a system that is almost entirely GPU-bound at higher resolutions, yet surprisingly CPU-limited at the lower end. The measured FPS demonstrates that this pairing is capable of delivering exceptionally high frame rates across all settings, making it a potent choice for high-refresh-rate displays, even if the CPU is significantly outclassed by the GPU in raw compute potential.

Resolution Scaling

The scaling from 1080p to 4K tells a clear story about where the bottleneck lies in this configuration. At 1080p High settings, the system produces an average of 292 FPS. When the resolution increases to 1440p, that number drops by 21% to 230 FPS. Moving further to 4K, the average falls to 154 FPS, representing a 33% reduction from the 1440p figure and a 47% drop from the 1080p baseline. This aggressive decline in performance as pixel count rises is the classic signature of a system that is heavily reliant on the GPU to render frames.

However, the scaling pattern is not uniform across all quality presets. At Low settings, the drop from 1080p (323 FPS) to 1440p (294 FPS) is only 9%, and then to 4K (206 FPS) is a further 30%. This suggests that at Low settings and 1080p, the CPU is starting to become a limiting factor, preventing the GPU from achieving even higher frame rates. The fact that the 1080p Low result is only 10% higher than the 1080p High result (323 vs. 292 FPS) while the 4K Low result is 34% higher than 4K High (206 vs. 154 FPS) strongly indicates that the Ryzen 5 5500 is capping performance at lower resolutions.

The data indicates that the RTX 4080 is the dominant component in this pairing for the vast majority of scenarios. The performance penalty from 1440p to 4K is substantial across all settings, confirming that the GPU's rendering workload is the primary constraint. The relatively small delta between Low and High settings at 1080p further underscores that the CPU's six cores are saturated, leaving performance headroom on the table for the GPU. At 4K, the GPU is fully engaged, and the gap between Low and High settings expands significantly, showing that the graphics card can finally stretch its legs when the resolution is high enough to offload the CPU.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate recorded for this combo?

A: The highest average frame rate recorded is 323 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 compare to its closest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 4080 has an average benchmark score of 54247, which is only 0.1% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER, making them effectively equivalent in raw performance.

Q: Is the Ryzen 5 5500 more powerful than the Intel Core i5-12500?

A: According to the data, the Ryzen 5 5500 has an average benchmark score of 19593, which is 0.4% lower than the Intel Core i5-12500's score of 19668, indicating they are virtually tied in synthetic workloads.

Q: What is the lowest average frame rate recorded in the measured FPS data?

A: The lowest average frame rate is 136 FPS, which occurs at 3840x2160 resolution with Ultra settings.

Q: Does the system maintain playable frame rates at 4K with maximum settings?

A: Yes, the data shows an average of 136 FPS at 4K Ultra, which is well above standard display refresh rates and indicates a smooth experience.

Q: How large is the performance gap between the low and ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 1440p, the Low preset averages 294 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 203 FPS. This represents a 31% reduction in performance when moving from the lowest to the highest quality settings.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, running on the AMD Socket AM4 platform. It has a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.20 GHz, with a 65W TDP. In the context of Dave The Diver, this CPU is a capable partner for the RTX 4080, but the benchmark results clearly show that it is not the primary driver of performance. The CPU's percentile ranking of 73 places it above the average processor, and its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 16429 indicates solid multi-threaded performance, but it is nowhere near the top tier.

The role of the CPU becomes apparent when analyzing the frame rates at 1080p. The average FPS for High settings at 1080p is 292, and for Low settings it is 323. This 31 FPS difference is relatively small compared to the 4K results, where the same settings difference yields a 52 FPS gap (206 Low vs. 154 High). The implication is that at 1080p, the CPU is struggling to feed the GPU with enough data, limiting the overall frame rate. The processor's 16 MB of L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support are adequate for gaming, but they cannot match the sheer throughput of the GPU when the resolution is low enough for the graphics card to render frames faster than the CPU can issue draw calls.

The data suggests that the Ryzen 5 5500 is sufficient to maintain high frame rates, but it is the limiting factor in low-resolution scenarios. For a game like Dave The Diver, which is not particularly demanding on the CPU, this processor provides a stable foundation. However, users seeking to maximize frame rates at 1080p would find that a more powerful CPU would unlock additional performance. The benchmark scores show it is only 0.4% slower than the Intel Core i5-12500 and 0.7% slower than the Intel Core i5-11600KF, putting it in a competitive mid-range bracket, but the RTX 4080 is in a different performance tier altogether.

How This Combo Ranks

In the context of all tested system combinations for Dave The Diver, the pairing of the AMD Ryzen 5 5500 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 achieves a rank of 340 out of 3710 combos. This places it in the top 9.2% of all configurations tested, which is a strong result. The rank is likely held back by the CPU, as the RTX 4080 is a top-tier graphics card that scores in the 86th percentile of all GPUs, while the Ryzen 5 5500 only reaches the 73rd percentile of all CPUs.

The high combo rank is primarily attributable to the GPU's immense power. The RTX 4080's average benchmark score of 54247 is only 0.1% lower than the RTX 4080 SUPER, its closest rival, and it outperforms the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB by 2.6%. This level of graphics performance ensures that the system can handle the game at maximum settings with ease. The CPU's contribution to the rank is more modest, but it is not a weak link. Compared to its rivals, the Ryzen 5 5500 is within 0.7% performance of the Intel Core i5-12500, the Intel Core i7-10700F, and the Intel Core i5-11600KF.

The data shows that this combo is well above average for the game, providing a high frame rate experience that will satisfy most users. The rank of 340 suggests that there are many systems with more balanced CPU-GPU pairings that score higher, but the sheer power of the RTX 4080 ensures that this configuration remains a top performer. The system is ideally suited for high-resolution gaming, where the GPU's strengths are fully utilized, and the CPU's limitations are less of a concern.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates, with an average of 323 FPS on Low settings. The Medium preset averages 304 FPS, with a minimum of 258 FPS and a maximum of 349 FPS. High settings average 292 FPS, while Ultra settings average 269 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra is 54 FPS, which is the smallest relative difference across all resolutions, indicating that the CPU is the limiting factor here.

Moving to 2560x1440, the average frame rates remain exceptionally high. Low settings produce 294 FPS, Medium produces 257 FPS (with a min of 219 and max of 296), High produces 230 FPS, and Ultra produces 203 FPS. The performance drop from Low to Ultra is 91 FPS, which is a 31% reduction. This shows that the GPU is becoming more involved in the rendering process, and the CPU is no longer the sole bottleneck.

At 3840x2160, the system still maintains triple-digit frame rates. Low settings average 206 FPS, Medium averages 172 FPS (with a min of 146 and max of 198), High averages 154 FPS, and Ultra averages 136 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is now 70 FPS, or 34%. This is the largest relative difference in the dataset, confirming that the GPU is the dominant factor at 4K. The minimum FPS of 146 at 4K Medium is still well above the threshold for smooth gameplay, and even the Ultra preset's average of 136 FPS is excellent.

The data shows a clear trend: the system is capable of running the game at high refresh rates at any resolution. The frame rates are consistently high, with no result dropping below 136 FPS. The RTX 4080's 16 GB of GDDR6X memory and 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth are more than sufficient for this game, and the GPU's 9728 shading units provide ample compute power. The CPU, while not the star of the show, does not cause any significant frame rate dips, as evidenced by the minimum FPS figures.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this configuration depend on the user's display and preference for frame rate versus visual fidelity. For users with a 4K display, the Ultra preset is a viable option, as it averages 136 FPS. This is high enough for a smooth experience on most displays and offers the best visual quality. However, for those who prioritize higher frame rates, the High preset at 4K averages 154 FPS, which is a 13% improvement over Ultra with a minor visual compromise.

At 1440p, the Ultra preset averages 203 FPS, which is more than sufficient for even the fastest high-refresh-rate monitors. There is little reason to drop below Ultra at this resolution, as the performance is already exceptional. The High preset at 230 FPS is only 13% faster, but the visual difference between High and Ultra may be noticeable to some users. The data suggests that Ultra is the best choice for 1440p to maximize image quality without sacrificing smoothness.

For 1080p users, the situation is different. The CPU is the limiting factor, and the frame rates are so high that the visual quality should be maximized. The Ultra preset averages 269 FPS, which is still incredibly fast. Since the difference between Low (323 FPS) and Ultra (269 FPS) is only 54 FPS, and the CPU is preventing the GPU from reaching its full potential anyway, there is no reason to use anything other than the Ultra preset at this resolution. The game will run at a high frame rate with the best possible visuals, and the system will not be able to take advantage of higher settings regardless.

The data indicates that this system is overkill for Dave The Diver. The RTX 4080 is a powerhouse that can handle the game at maximum settings with ease, and the Ryzen 5 5500 is sufficient to keep up at most resolutions. The only scenario where the CPU holds back the GPU is at 1080p, but even then, the frame rates are so high that it is not a practical concern. For the best experience, users should select the Ultra preset at any resolution, as the performance is always above 136 FPS, and the visual quality will be the best the game can offer.