Dave The Diver

Dave The Diver is an adventure title that, on paper, should not stress a flagship GPU like the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090. The measured results confirm this, but they also reveal a fascinating bottleneck dynamic. The data shows a system that is heavily CPU-limited at lower resolutions, with the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F acting as the primary constraint, while the GPU’s immense headroom only becomes apparent as the resolution climbs toward 4K. This combination of a mid-range 6-core processor with the top-tier 40-series card produces a performance profile that is more nuanced than a simple frame rate chart might suggest.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K tells a clear story about where the performance ceiling lies. At 1080p with High settings, the combo achieves an average of 267 FPS. Moving to 1440p High drops that to 243 FPS, a modest 9% reduction. The jump to 4K High brings the average down to 170 FPS, which is a significant 30% drop from the 1440p result. This pattern is consistent across all settings presets, indicating that the system is not purely GPU-bound until the pixel count becomes exceptionally high.

Examining the Low preset reveals the CPU bottleneck most starkly. At 1080p Low, the average is 296 FPS. At 1440p Low, it only falls to 269 FPS. The scaling between these two is just 9%, which is surprisingly small for a resolution increase of 78% in pixel count. This suggests that at these lower resolutions, the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F is struggling to feed frames fast enough to keep the RTX 4090 fully occupied. The GPU is waiting on the CPU, and as such, the resolution increase has a minimal impact on the final frame rate because the limiting factor hasn't changed.

The bottleneck shifts as we approach 4K. At 4K Low, the average is 227 FPS, which is a 16% drop from the 1440p Low result. This is a more substantial decline, indicating the GPU is starting to become the limiting component. However, the story is not uniform. The gap between 1440p and 4K is much larger for the High and Ultra presets. For Ultra, the 1440p average is 224 FPS, but at 4K it falls to 150 FPS, a 33% reduction. This shows that as the graphical load increases, the RTX 4090’s rendering capabilities become the primary constraint, and the CPU has enough headroom to keep up with the GPU's demands.

The most telling data point is the scaling between Low and Ultra at 4K. The frame rate only drops from 227 FPS to 150 FPS, a 34% reduction for a massive increase in visual fidelity. In a purely GPU-bound scenario, this difference would likely be much larger. This suggests that even at 4K, the Ryzen 5 5600F is still contributing to the overall performance ceiling, preventing the RTX 4090 from fully flexing its muscles. The data indicates that this combo is best suited for high-refresh-rate 1440p gaming, where the CPU can maintain a high frame rate floor, and the GPU has enough work to produce a visually stunning image.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is a behemoth of a graphics card, built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process node. It features 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 1.01 TB/s. Its boost clock is rated at 2520 MHz, and it comes with a staggering 16,384 shading units. These specifications position it as an absolute top-tier part, and the benchmark results for this game reflect its raw power, though not without caveats.

The GPU's memory capacity and bandwidth are more than sufficient for a game like Dave The Diver. Even at 4K Ultra, the game is unlikely to stress the 24 GB frame buffer, and the 1.01 TB/s bandwidth ensures that texture streaming and memory access are never a bottleneck. The GPU's raw compute power is also evident in the 4K results. At 4K Ultra, the combo still manages an average of 150 FPS, a figure that would be considered exceptional for most titles. The RTX 4090 is clearly capable of handling the game's highest settings at 4K with ease.

However, the GPU's performance is artificially capped by the CPU in many scenarios. The fact that the 1080p High average of 267 FPS is not dramatically higher than the 4K High average of 170 FPS highlights that the RTX 4090 is not the limiting factor at lower resolutions. The card is so fast that it can render frames far faster than the CPU can issue draw calls. This is a classic case of a high-end GPU being held back by a more modest processor.

Despite this, the GPU's strength is undeniable. The measured data shows that it can push frame rates well beyond the 144 Hz refresh rate of most monitors at 1440p, hitting 243 FPS on High settings. Even at 4K, it maintains an average of 170 FPS on High, which is well above the 60 FPS standard. The RTX 4090 ensures that the visual quality is never compromised; the only question is whether the CPU can keep up with its appetite for work. In this pairing, the GPU is the clear performance ceiling, but it is a ceiling so high that the CPU rarely allows the system to reach it.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture. It has a base clock of 3.00 GHz and a boost clock of 4.00 GHz, with 32 MB of shared L3 cache. It is a capable mid-range desktop CPU, but it is not in the same performance class as the GPU it is paired with. Its benchmark scores, such as a Passmark single-thread score of 2872 and a multithread score of 19236, place it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs, but it is clearly the weaker link in this configuration.

The CPU's role is most evident in the 1080p and 1440p results. The data shows that the frame rate scaling from Low to Ultra at these resolutions is minimal. At 1080p, the average FPS ranges from 296 on Low to 256 on Ultra, a difference of only 13%. Similarly, at 1440p, the range is from 269 on Low to 224 on Ultra, a difference of 17%. This indicates that the CPU is the primary bottleneck; it is delivering a certain number of frames per second, and the GPU is easily able to render them, regardless of the graphical settings.

The CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads are sufficient for Dave The Diver, which is not a heavily multithreaded title. The game's physics and game logic are likely handled by a few threads, and the Ryzen 5 5600F's single-thread performance is adequate to maintain high frame rates. However, the 4.00 GHz boost clock is not exceptionally high, and it limits the maximum frame rate the CPU can push. The benchmark data shows that the system tops out at around 296 FPS at 1080p Low, which is likely near the CPU's practical limit for this game.

When compared to its nearest rivals, the Ryzen 5 5600F is well-positioned. Its average benchmark score of 36945 is nearly identical to the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 (36938, 0% delta) and the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D (37018, -0.2% delta). This suggests that its performance is on par with other modern mid-range options. However, none of these processors are in the same league as the RTX 4090, and the pairing creates an imbalance. The CPU is not so weak that it makes the system unusable, but it does prevent the user from extracting the absolute maximum performance from the graphics card. The data clearly shows that the CPU is the limiting factor for achieving the highest possible frame rates at 1080p and 1440p.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 achieves a rank of 348 out of 3710 tested combos in Dave The Diver. This places it in the top 9.4% of all configurations tested, which is a strong showing. However, it is essential to interpret this rank in the context of the hardware involved. The RTX 4090 is one of the fastest consumer GPUs available, and a rank of 348 suggests that the CPU is pulling the overall score down.

A system with a more powerful CPU, such as a top-tier Ryzen 9 or Intel Core i9, would likely rank much higher with the same GPU. The data suggests that this combo is leaving performance on the table. The GPU is capable of much higher frame rates, but the CPU cannot deliver the data fast enough. The rank of 348, while respectable, reflects the GPU's raw power rather than a sign of a balanced system.

This specific pairing is an unusual one. It combines a high-end GPU with a mid-range CPU, which is often done to save money on the processor while maximizing graphical performance. In this case, the strategy is partially successful. The combo still delivers excellent frame rates, especially at 1440p and 4K, where the GPU's power is more fully utilized. The rank indicates that while this configuration is faster than the vast majority of systems, it is not optimized for the absolute top tier of performance. The data implies that the user is getting a high level of performance, but a more balanced pairing would yield even better results.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of the combo's performance across all resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the system achieves its highest frame rates. The Low preset averages 296 FPS, while Medium averages 278 FPS with a minimum of 236 FPS and a maximum of 320 FPS. High settings bring the average down to 267 FPS, and Ultra is the most demanding, with an average of 256 FPS. The frame rate is consistently high, but the small variance between presets confirms the CPU is the limiting factor.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains excellent. The Low preset averages 269 FPS, and Medium averages 253 FPS, with a minimum of 215 FPS and a maximum of 291 FPS. High settings produce an average of 243 FPS, while Ultra is still very playable at 224 FPS. The drop from 1080p is noticeable but not drastic, and the system easily handles high-refresh-rate gaming at this resolution. The data indicates that 1440p is the sweet spot for this combo, offering a great balance between visual quality and frame rate headroom.

At 3840x2160, the GPU finally starts to take over as the primary bottleneck. The Low preset averages 227 FPS, which is still exceptionally high for 4K. Medium settings average 190 FPS, with a minimum of 162 FPS and a maximum of 219 FPS. High settings drop to an average of 170 FPS, and Ultra is the most demanding, with an average of 150 FPS. While these numbers are still very impressive, the scaling between presets is more pronounced than at lower resolutions. The 4K results show that the RTX 4090 is capable of delivering a premium 4K experience, even with a mid-range CPU.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the user's display and performance priorities. For a 1080p or 1440p display with a high refresh rate (144 Hz or higher), the Ultra preset is the clear recommendation. The average frame rates of 256 FPS at 1080p and 224 FPS at 1440p are well above the refresh rate of most monitors, ensuring a smooth and visually rich experience. There is no performance penalty for choosing the highest settings, as the CPU is the bottleneck, not the GPU.

For a 4K display, the High preset offers the best balance. It delivers an average of 170 FPS, which is far above the 60 FPS standard for 4K gaming. The jump from High to Ultra at 4K costs 20 FPS (from 170 to 150), which is a 12% reduction in performance for a marginal improvement in visual fidelity. The Medium preset at 4K also delivers a solid 190 FPS, but High is preferable as it provides a better image quality with a negligible difference in frame rate.

The Low preset is only recommended for competitive play or for users who prioritize maximum frame rates above all else. It offers the highest averages at every resolution (296 FPS at 1080p, 269 FPS at 1440p, and 227 FPS at 4K), but the visual downgrade is significant. Given the hardware's capability, there is no need to use Low settings to achieve playable frame rates. The data strongly suggests that the system is well-suited for maxing out the game's visual settings at 1440p, and it still provides an outstanding 4K experience on High settings. The limiting factor is the CPU, not the GPU, so users should crank the graphics settings up without worrying about a major performance hit.