Dave The Diver

# Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for Dave The Diver with the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 reveals a clear pattern: this combination is heavily GPU-limited at higher resolutions, while the CPU headroom becomes evident only at 1080p. At 4K Ultra, the combo delivers 62 FPS, which drops to 65.8 FPS at 4K High — a modest 5.8% gain from reducing settings one step. Moving from 4K Ultra to 4K Low yields 91 FPS, a 46.8% improvement, indicating that the RTX 2060's rendering workload dominates the frame time budget at this resolution.

At 1440p, the scaling becomes more pronounced. Ultra settings produce 87.5 FPS, while Low settings reach 136.2 FPS — a 55.7% uplift. The gap between 1440p High (102.9 FPS) and 1440p Ultra (87.5 FPS) is 15.4 FPS, showing that the Ultra preset's additional effects cost roughly 15% performance at this resolution. Interestingly, the jump from 1440p to 1080p at the same settings is substantial: 102.9 to 133.4 FPS at High, and 87.5 to 115.2 FPS at Ultra. These increases of approximately 30% and 31.7% respectively suggest that pixel count is the primary bottleneck, not geometry or draw calls.

At 1080p, the story changes. Low settings hit 176.2 FPS, while Ultra still manages 115.2 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra at 1080p is 61 FPS, which is larger than the 48.7 FPS spread at 1440p and the 29 FPS spread at 4K. This wider range at 1080p indicates that the CPU becomes more relevant as the GPU load decreases, but the Ryzen 5 7500F's 6 cores and 12 threads with a 5.00 GHz boost clock are sufficient to keep frame rates high even at Low settings. The data shows no evidence of CPU throttling at 1080p Low — 176.2 FPS is well above the 144 Hz threshold that many displays support.

The limiting component shifts decisively with resolution. At 4K, the RTX 2060's 6 GB GDDR6 memory and 336.0 GB/s bandwidth are the constraining factors, as evidenced by the small performance gap between Ultra (62 FPS) and High (65.8 FPS). At 1080p, the GPU still leads, but the CPU's 32 MB L3 cache and Zen 4 architecture provide enough headroom to avoid becoming the bottleneck. The 4K-to-1080p scaling ratio at Ultra settings is 115.2/62, or 1.86x, which is below the theoretical 4x pixel-count reduction, confirming that the GPU is saturated at all resolutions tested.

# FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to maintain 60+ FPS with all settings maxed?

A: At 4K Ultra, the combo achieves 62 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold. However, the margin is thin — only 2 FPS of headroom. At 1440p Ultra, the average is 87.5 FPS, providing a more comfortable buffer. The data shows that 4K Ultra is playable, but any additional background load could push it below 60 FPS.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 1440p at High settings?

A: The average FPS drops from 133.4 at 1080p High to 102.9 at 1440p High, a decrease of 30.5 FPS, or approximately 22.9%. This is a significant reduction, but the 1440p result remains well above 60 FPS, making it a viable middle ground for users with 1440p monitors.

Q: Does the RTX 2060's 6 GB VRAM cause issues at 4K in this game?

A: The measured data does not show any signs of VRAM-related stuttering or crashes. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 62, and at 4K High it rises to 65.8. The 6 GB GDDR6 memory appears sufficient for Dave The Diver's texture and asset demands, as the performance scaling from Low to Ultra follows a consistent pattern without anomalies.

Q: Which settings preset provides the largest FPS jump relative to the previous tier?

A: Moving from Ultra to High at 1440p yields a 15.4 FPS increase (87.5 to 102.9), while moving from High to Medium at 1080p produces a 15.4 FPS increase as well (133.4 to 148.8). The largest single-step gain is from High to Medium at 4K, where FPS rises from 65.8 to 74.7, a 13.5% improvement.

Q: Is the Ryzen 5 7500F a bottleneck at any resolution tested?

A: The data does not indicate a CPU bottleneck at any resolution. Even at 1080p Low, where the GPU load is lowest, the combo achieves 176.2 FPS. The CPU's Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 22799 and single-core score of 3218 suggest strong performance, and the 12 threads handle the game's workload without limiting frame rates. The CPU ranks in the 82nd percentile versus all CPUs, supporting its adequacy.

Q: How does this combo's 4K Ultra performance compare to its 1080p Low performance?

A: The 4K Ultra average is 62 FPS, while 1080p Low reaches 176.2 FPS. This represents a 184.2% increase in frame rate when dropping resolution and settings to the minimum. The large gap confirms that the RTX 2060 is the limiting factor at 4K, while the CPU and GPU both have ample headroom at 1080p Low.

# CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 7500F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 4 Raphael architecture, manufactured on a 5 nm process at TSMC. Its base clock of 3.70 GHz and boost clock of 5.00 GHz provide the single-threaded performance that Dave The Diver's gameplay logic and physics simulation require. The CPU's 32 MB shared L3 cache is substantial for a mainstream desktop part, and the DDR5 dual-channel memory support with 83.2 GB/s bandwidth ensures that texture streaming and asset loading do not starve the GPU.

In benchmark results, the 7500F scores 3218 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 22799 in multi-core, placing it in the 82nd percentile versus all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-11850H, has an average score of 24974, just 0.1% lower, while the AMD Ryzen 7 2700X trails by 0.3% with an average score of 25057. These tight margins indicate that the 7500F sits in a competitive performance band, but its advantage in this game comes from its high boost clock and efficient Zen 4 architecture.

For Dave The Diver specifically, the measured FPS data shows that the CPU does not become a limiting factor even at 1080p Low, where the frame rate reaches 176.2 FPS. The 3DMark single-thread score of 974 and 2-thread score of 1902 demonstrate that the processor can handle lightly-threaded workloads with ease. The 16-thread score of 6376 and max-thread score of 6379 show good scaling across all available threads, which is relevant for background tasks and game engine sub-systems that may use additional cores.

The CPU's 65 W TDP and 6,570 million transistors on a 71 mm² die contribute to its efficiency, but the measured FPS data does not show any thermal-related performance dips. The 7500F's percentile ranking (82nd) and average benchmark score of 24993 place it above the median, meaning it outperforms the majority of CPUs in the database. In this game, the CPU provides a stable foundation that allows the RTX 2060 to be the primary performance determinant across all tested settings.

# How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 7500F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 combination ranks 1319 out of 1626 tested combos in Dave The Diver, placing it in the lower 19% of all configurations. This rank reflects the GPU's age and tier rather than any CPU limitation. The RTX 2060, released in 2019, is end-of-life and sits in the 58th percentile versus all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 16074. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 7600S (0.5% higher) and the Radeon Pro 5700 (1.7% higher), indicating that the GPU is competitive with mid-range mobile and workstation parts from the same era.

The combo's rank of 1319 out of 1626 means that 307 tested combinations outperform it, which is expected given the RTX 2060's position in the GPU hierarchy. However, the measured FPS data shows that this combo still delivers playable frame rates at all resolutions and settings. At 4K Ultra, 62 FPS is above the 60 FPS standard, and at 1080p Low, 176.2 FPS is exceptional for a 6 GB GPU. The rank is therefore not a reflection of poor performance in absolute terms, but rather a comparison against newer and higher-tier hardware.

The CPU's strong showing in its own benchmarks (82nd percentile vs all CPUs) does not rescue the combo's overall rank, because the GPU is the limiting factor in Dave The Diver. The RTX 2060's 6 GB VRAM and 192-bit memory bus with 336.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for this game's art style, which features 2D sprites and moderate 3D environments. The combo's rank would likely improve substantially if paired with a more powerful GPU, but within this specific configuration, the measured results are consistent with the hardware's capabilities.

# Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates. Low settings produce 176.2 FPS, Medium reaches 148.8 FPS, High achieves 133.4 FPS, and Ultra drops to 115.2 FPS. The step from Low to Medium is a 27.4 FPS reduction (15.6%), while Medium to High loses 15.4 FPS (10.3%), and High to Ultra loses 18.2 FPS (13.6%). The 1080p results show that even at Ultra, the combo maintains well above 100 FPS, making this resolution ideal for high-refresh-rate displays.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates remain strong but drop noticeably. Low settings hit 136.2 FPS, Medium reaches 112.6 FPS, High achieves 102.9 FPS, and Ultra falls to 87.5 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p at each setting is consistent: Low loses 40 FPS (22.7%), Medium loses 36.2 FPS (24.3%), High loses 30.5 FPS (22.9%), and Ultra loses 27.7 FPS (24%). This uniform ~23% reduction across settings confirms that resolution is the dominant factor, not the specific preset.

At 3840x2160, the RTX 2060 begins to struggle. Low settings produce 91 FPS, Medium reaches 74.7 FPS, High achieves 65.8 FPS, and Ultra drops to 62 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 16.3 FPS (17.9%), Medium to High is 8.9 FPS (11.9%), and High to Ultra is 3.8 FPS (5.8%). The diminishing returns at higher settings indicate that the GPU is approaching its rendering limits, with the 6 GB VRAM and 6.451 TFLOPS FP32 performance being the constraining factors.

The overall pattern shows that the combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming. At 4K, only Low settings (91 FPS) provide a comfortable margin above 60 FPS, while Ultra (62 FPS) is borderline. The data suggests that users with 4K displays should use Medium or Low settings to ensure smooth gameplay, while those with 1080p or 1440p monitors can freely use High or Ultra presets.

# Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data points to 1440p High as the best overall experience for this combo. At 102.9 FPS, it provides a smooth frame rate that exceeds the 100 FPS threshold, while the visual quality from the High preset is noticeably better than Medium or Low. The 1440p High result also uses the RTX 2060's capabilities effectively without pushing the GPU to its limits, as evidenced by the 15.4 FPS headroom over 1440p Ultra.

For users with 1080p displays, Ultra settings at 115.2 FPS are the clear recommendation. The frame rate is high enough to take advantage of 120 Hz or 144 Hz monitors, and the visual fidelity is maximized. The 1080p Ultra result is 18.2 FPS lower than High, but the absolute frame rate remains well above 100 FPS, so the visual upgrade is worth the performance cost.

At 4K, the choice is between Low (91 FPS) and Medium (74.7 FPS). Low provides a 60+ FPS experience with a 16.3 FPS advantage over Medium, but the visual quality is reduced. Medium is the better choice for users who prioritize image quality over frame rate, as 74.7 FPS is still above the 60 FPS standard. Ultra (62 FPS) and High (65.8 FPS) are not recommended at 4K because they offer minimal visual improvements over Medium while approaching the 60 FPS threshold too closely.

The data also shows that the combo's performance at 1440p Ultra (87.5 FPS) is very close to its 4K Low performance (91 FPS), making 1440p Ultra a more efficient use of the GPU's resources than 4K Low. Users with 1440p monitors should favor Ultra settings, while 4K users should accept Medium as the practical limit for this GPU. The RTX 2060's 6 GB VRAM is adequate for all presets, as no VRAM-related performance drops are evident in the measured data.

# GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is a Turing-architecture GPU with 1920 shading units, 120 texture mapping units, and 48 raster output units. It operates at a base clock of 1365 MHz and a boost clock of 1680 MHz, delivering 6.451 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. The GPU's 6 GB GDDR6 memory runs at 14 Gbps effective across a 192-bit bus, yielding 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is adequate for Dave The Diver's art style, which combines 2D character sprites with 3D environments, but it limits the GPU's ability to handle high-resolution textures at 4K.

The GPU's benchmark scores show it in the 58th percentile versus all GPUs, with an average score of 16074. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 7600S (0.5% faster) and the Radeon Pro 5700 (1.7% slower), placing it in a competitive mid-range tier. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1242 and PassMark G3D score of 14111 confirm that the GPU is capable of modern rendering workloads, but its 12 nm process and 10,800 million transistors on a 445 mm² die are dated compared to newer GPUs.

In Dave The Diver, the GPU role is dominant. At 4K, the performance scaling from Low to Ultra shows a 46.8% drop (91 to 62 FPS), which is primarily driven by the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth constraints. The 80.64 GPixel/s pixel rate and 201.6 GTexel/s texture rate are sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K, the 8.3 million pixels per frame overwhelm the GPU's capabilities. The 6 GB VRAM is not a limiting factor in this game, as the texture sizes are modest, but the GPU's compute power (6.451 TFLOPS) and bandwidth (336.0 GB/s) set the ceiling.

The RTX 2060's 30 RT cores and 240 tensor cores are not heavily utilized in Dave The Diver, given the game's art direction. The GPU's DirectX 12 Ultimate support (12_2) ensures compatibility with modern rendering features, but the measured FPS data shows that traditional rasterization performance is the key determinant. The GPU's end-of-life status and 160 W TDP make it a legacy component, but its performance in this game is still respectable, particularly at 1080p and 1440p where it consistently exceeds 100 FPS on High settings.