Dave The Diver

Dave The Diver presents an interesting case study in system scaling, as it is not a graphically demanding title by modern standards. The measured data for the AMD Ryzen 5 5500 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 combination shows exceptional performance across all tested configurations, with the frame rate remaining well above the refresh rate of most high-end displays even at maximum settings and 4K resolution. The data suggests that this pairing is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions, but the sheer headroom available means the experience is consistently fluid, with the primary differentiator being the transition from pixel-bound to CPU-bound scenarios at lower resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The performance delta from 1080p to 4K reveals a classic trajectory of GPU load intensification. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 323 FPS. Scaling to 1440p reduces this to 294 FPS, a modest 9% drop, indicating that the GPU is still not fully saturated. However, moving to 4K at Low settings, the average FPS falls to 213. This represents a significant 28% reduction from the 1440p result and a 34% drop from 1080p, clearly demonstrating that the rendering resolution is now the primary limiting factor, engaging the RTX 5080’s pixel throughput capabilities more substantially.

The trend is consistent across all settings presets. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 292 at 1080p to 238 at 1440p (an 18% reduction), and further to 159 at 4K (a 33% reduction from 1440p). The largest absolute delta occurs between 1440p and 4K, suggesting that the game’s visual complexity at 4K begins to tax the GPU’s memory bandwidth and shading units. The medium preset shows a similar pattern, with averages of 304, 266, and 179 FPS across the three resolutions, respectively. The data indicates that while the CPU can easily feed the GPU at lower resolutions, the RTX 5080’s workload becomes exponentially more demanding as pixel count increases, which is expected for a game with detailed 2D sprite-based environments and dynamic lighting.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the benchmark database, this specific combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 5500 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 achieves a combo rank of 320 out of 3710 tested configurations for Dave The Diver. This places the pairing in the top 8.6% of all combos, which is a strong result but not at the absolute apex. The ranking reflects the balance between the CPU and GPU; while the RTX 5080 is a top-tier component, the Ryzen 5 5500 is a mid-range processor, preventing the combo from reaching the very top percentile where flagship CPUs are paired with the fastest GPUs.

The percentile data for the individual components reinforces this analysis. The RTX 5080 sits at the 87th percentile among all GPUs, indicating its high performance class. In contrast, the Ryzen 5 5500 is at the 73rd percentile among all CPUs. This 14-point gap suggests a potential bottleneck in CPU-bound scenarios, although for Dave The Diver, the frame rates are so high that this imbalance is rarely a practical issue. The combo’s rank of 320 reflects the GPU’s ability to compensate for the CPU’s relative standing, ensuring that even with a mid-range processor, the gaming experience is exceptional.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 is the dominant component in this pairing, and its specifications heavily influence the measured results. With 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus, the GPU provides a bandwidth of 960.0 GB/s, which is more than sufficient for Dave The Diver’s textures at any resolution. The data bears this out, as even at 4K Ultra, the average FPS does not drop below 141, indicating no memory capacity or bandwidth starvation. The GPU’s 10752 shading units and 112 ROPs are tasked with rendering the game’s pixel-art style and effects, and the high pixel rate of 293.1 GPixel/s ensures that fill-rate is never a constraint.

The Boost clock of 2617 MHz is a key factor in sustaining high frame rates. The performance difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 4K is 141 FPS versus 213 FPS, a 34% reduction in performance for the highest visual quality. This scaling shows that the GPU’s compute and texture units are being utilized more heavily with each incremental setting increase. The RTX 5080’s position in the benchmark database, at the 87th percentile and with an average benchmark score of 56083, confirms its capability. Its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE, show a deltaPct of -2.2, meaning the RTX 5080 is slightly ahead in synthetic tests, which aligns with the observed real-world performance in this game.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a comprehensive view of performance across 12 distinct configurations. At 1080p, the results are exceptionally high. The Low preset yields an average of 323 FPS, while High produces 292 FPS. The Medium preset, which includes min and max readings, shows an average of 304 FPS with a range from 258 to 349 FPS, indicating some frame-time variance but still a very fluid experience. The Ultra preset at 1080p achieves 279 FPS, showing that even the maximum settings leave substantial performance headroom.

Moving to 1440p, the averages remain extremely high. Low settings produce 294 FPS, and High settings drop to 238 FPS. The Medium preset’s average is 266 FPS, with a minimum of 227 FPS and a maximum of 306 FPS. Ultra at 1440p delivers 210 FPS. These figures suggest that for most high-refresh-rate monitors (144Hz-165Hz), this combo will max out the display’s capabilities at 1440p with ease, regardless of the settings preset chosen.

At 4K, the performance is still very strong. The Medium preset records an average of 179 FPS, with a minimum of 152 FPS and a maximum of 205 FPS. High settings average 159 FPS, while Low averages 213 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K is the most demanding scenario, yielding an average of 141 FPS. This is the only configuration where the frame rate dips below the 144Hz threshold for some high-end displays, but it remains perfectly playable on standard 60Hz or 120Hz panels. The data shows a clear progression: the gap between Low and Ultra widens as resolution increases, from a 44 FPS difference at 1080p to a 72 FPS difference at 4K, highlighting the increased GPU workload.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500, with its 6 cores and 12 threads based on the Zen 3 architecture, provides a solid foundation for this system. Its base clock of 3.60 GHz and boost clock of 4.20 GHz are adequate for feeding the RTX 5080 in most scenarios. The CPU’s benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 16429 and a single-core score of 2319, indicate that it is a capable mid-range processor. However, its 16 MB of L3 cache and PCIe Gen 3 interface are less impressive compared to newer platforms.

In Dave The Diver, the CPU’s role is less critical than the GPU’s, but it still has an impact. The performance scaling from 1080p to 4K shows that at lower resolutions, the CPU is more likely to be a limiting factor. For instance, at 1080p Low, the average FPS is 323, but this is not double the 4K Low result of 213 FPS. This suggests that at 1080p, the CPU is nearing its limit in terms of frame submission, preventing the GPU from reaching even higher frame rates. The Ryzen 5 5500’s percentile ranking of 73% and its proximity to rivals like the Intel Core i5-12500 (deltaPct -0.4) indicate it is a standard performer in its class. The data shows that for this game, the CPU provides sufficient performance to maintain high frame rates, but it is the component that prevents the system from achieving the absolute maximum FPS possible with the RTX 5080.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1440p with High settings for this combo?

A: The measured average FPS is 238, which is a very high level of performance suitable for smooth gameplay on high-refresh-rate monitors.

Q: Is this system capable of 4K gaming in Dave The Diver?

A: Yes, the data shows it is more than capable. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 141, and at 4K High it is 159, both providing a fluid experience.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K on the Ultra preset?

A: The average FPS drops from 279 at 1080p to 141 at 4K, which represents a 49% reduction in performance, indicating a heavy increase in GPU load.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU act as the primary bottleneck at 1080p?

A: The data suggests the CPU is more of a limiting factor at 1080p. The average FPS at 1080p Low is 323, which is not significantly higher than other presets, implying the CPU cannot push the frame rate much higher than this.

Q: What are the minimum FPS readings for the Medium preset?

A: The minimum FPS readings for the Medium preset are 258 at 1080p, 227 at 1440p, and 152 at 4K. These lows are still well above playable thresholds.

Q: How does the RTX 5080’s performance rank compared to other GPUs in the database?

A: The RTX 5080 is at the 87th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 56083, indicating it is a high-end component.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and refresh rate. For 1080p and 1440p displays with a 144Hz refresh rate, the Ultra preset is the recommended choice. At 1080p Ultra, the game runs at an average of 279 FPS, and at 1440p Ultra, it achieves 210 FPS. Both results provide ample headroom above the 144Hz threshold, ensuring a consistently smooth experience with the highest visual fidelity. The High preset also delivers excellent performance at these resolutions, with 292 FPS and 238 FPS respectively, but Ultra offers a more complete visual package without a perceptible performance penalty.

For 4K displays, the recommendation is the High preset. The data shows an average of 159 FPS at 4K High, which is an excellent result that will fully utilize most high-refresh-rate 4K monitors (120Hz-144Hz). While the Ultra preset at 4K still produces a very playable 141 FPS, the High preset offers a more stable frame rate with a smaller chance of dipping below the refresh rate of the display during demanding scenes. The Medium preset at 4K, with an average of 179 FPS, is also a valid option if the user prefers to maximize performance, but the visual upgrade from Medium to High is typically significant in this game. The Low preset is not recommended at any resolution, as even the Ultra preset provides such high frame rates that there is no need to sacrifice visual quality for performance.