Dave The Diver

Dave The Diver is not a typical graphics stress test, but the measured frame rates for this AMD Ryzen 5 7600 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 combination reveal a clear performance hierarchy across resolutions. The data shows a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at 4K, but transitions to a more CPU-sensitive state as resolution drops, making the 1080p results particularly telling about the processor's capabilities.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K follows a predictable pattern, but the magnitude of the drops reveals where the bottleneck lies. At Ultra settings, the average frame rate falls from 202 FPS at 1920x1080 to 152 FPS at 2560x1440, a 24.8% reduction, and then to 102 FPS at 3840x2160, a further 32.9% drop from the 1440p figure. This steep decline as pixel count increases is the classic signature of a GPU-limited scenario, where the RTX 3080's rendering throughput becomes the constraining factor.

The Low settings data tells a different story. At 1920x1080 Low, the system produces 306 FPS average, which drops to 230 FPS at 2560x1440 and 154 FPS at 3840x2160. The percentage drops are similar in proportion to the Ultra settings, but the absolute numbers are much higher, indicating that even at 4K Low, the GPU still has headroom that the Ultra preset consumes. Notably, the gap between Low and Ultra settings widens dramatically at higher resolutions: at 1080p the difference is 104 FPS (306 vs 202), while at 4K it is only 52 FPS (154 vs 102). This compression of the settings gap at 4K suggests that resolution scaling is the dominant factor, not the quality preset.

The Medium preset provides the only complete FPS data with min and max values. At 1920x1080 Medium, the average is 256 FPS with a minimum of 218 and maximum of 294. At 2560x1440 Medium, the average drops to 193 FPS with a range of 164-221. At 3840x2160 Medium, the average is 129 FPS with a range of 110-148. The consistency of the min-to-max spread, roughly 76 FPS at each resolution, indicates that the frame pacing remains stable regardless of resolution, which points to a well-balanced system without sudden CPU-related stutters.

What the data does not show is any sign of CPU limitation at 1080p, even though the frame rates exceed 300 FPS at Low settings. The Ryzen 5 7600's single-thread performance, reflected in its 3dmark_single_thread score of 999, appears sufficient to feed the RTX 3080 at these frame rates. However, the 1080p Ultra result of 202 FPS versus the 1080p Low result of 306 FPS shows a 34% performance penalty from the Ultra preset, which is more than the 24% penalty at 4K between the same two presets, hinting that at 1080p, the CPU's ability to process the higher object counts and draw calls of the Ultra preset becomes a more significant factor.

FAQ

Q: At what resolution does this CPU/GPU combo perform best in Dave The Diver?

A: The data shows the highest average frame rate at 1920x1080 Low, reaching 306 FPS. For a balance of visual quality and performance, the 2560x1440 High preset at 172 FPS represents the sweet spot, as it maintains a high frame rate while using more demanding settings.

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

A: At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 228 FPS at 1920x1080 to 172 FPS at 2560x1440, then to 115 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 49.6% reduction in average FPS from the lowest to the highest resolution tested.

Q: Is the RTX 3080 or the Ryzen 5 7600 the limiting factor in this game?

A: The benchmark results indicate the GPU is the primary limiter at 4K, where the average FPS scales closely with resolution changes. At 1080p, the CPU's performance becomes more relevant, as evidenced by the larger performance gap between Low and Ultra settings at that resolution.

Q: What is the frame time consistency like at different settings?

A: Only the Medium preset reports min and max FPS values. At 1920x1080, the range is 218-294 FPS; at 2560x1440, it is 164-221 FPS; and at 3840x2160, it is 110-148 FPS. The spread remains consistent at roughly 76 FPS across resolutions, suggesting stable frame pacing.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations for this game?

A: The combination ranks 1030 out of 3710 tested combos, placing it in the top 27.8% of all systems evaluated for Dave The Diver. This percentile placement reflects the strong 1080p performance but also shows that many higher-end configurations produce even faster results.

Q: Can this system hit 60 FPS at 4K with maximum settings?

A: Yes, the 4K Ultra setting produces an average of 102 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold. Even the 4K High setting, which is not the maximum but still visually demanding, achieves 115 FPS, so there is substantial headroom.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 7600 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the 7000 series, built on the Zen 4 architecture with a 5 nm process. Its base clock is 3.80 GHz and boost clock reaches 5.10 GHz, figures that directly influence how quickly it can process game logic and draw calls. For a game like Dave The Diver, which is not heavily threaded, the single-core performance is more critical than the multi-core capabilities, and the data supports this.

The CPU's benchmark scores show a notable strength in single-threaded workloads. Its 3dmark_single_thread score of 999 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1852 are respectable for a desktop processor, and these numbers correlate with the high frame rates observed at 1080p. The 3dmark_2_threads score of 1938 is roughly double the single-thread score, suggesting efficient scaling across two cores, which is typical for games that use one or two primary threads. In contrast, the 3dmark_16_threads score of 6499 is only 3.3 times the single-thread score, indicating diminishing returns from additional cores, which is expected for a 6-core CPU in lightly threaded workloads.

The L3 cache is 32 MB shared, which helps keep frequently accessed game data close to the cores. The memory bandwidth of 83.2 GB/s, paired with DDR5 support, ensures that the CPU can feed data to the GPU without becoming a bottleneck, even at the high frame rates seen at 1080p Low. The processor's performance in the passmark_multithread test, scoring 27058, places it in the 78th percentile among all CPUs, with its nearest rival being the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX at a 0.2% higher score. This tight grouping suggests that the 7600's multi-threaded performance is competitive with mobile flagship CPUs, though its desktop-oriented single-thread performance is what matters most here.

At 4K resolution, the CPU's role diminishes because the GPU is the limiting factor. The frame rates at 4K High (115 FPS) and 4K Ultra (102 FPS) are close enough that CPU differences would not be noticeable. However, at 1080p, where the system is less GPU-bound, the CPU's boost clock of 5.10 GHz becomes the deciding factor in whether the RTX 3080 can reach its full potential. The data shows 306 FPS at 1080p Low, which is near the practical limit for many games, so the CPU is clearly not holding back the GPU in this title.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest raw performance. With Low settings, the average FPS is 306, which drops to 256 at Medium, 228 at High, and 202 at Ultra. The Medium preset provides the only min/max data at this resolution, showing a range of 218 to 294 FPS. This 1080p data shows a 50.5% performance difference between Low and Ultra settings, indicating that the Ultra preset imposes a significant load on the system, but the absolute numbers remain high enough for competitive or high-refresh-rate gaming.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance scales down predictably. Low settings produce 230 FPS average, Medium produces 193 FPS with a range of 164-221, High produces 172 FPS, and Ultra produces 152 FPS. The transition from 1080p to 1440p costs approximately 24.5% of the average FPS at Low settings, 24.6% at Medium, 24.6% at High, and 24.8% at Ultra. This consistent percentage drop across all presets strongly suggests that the GPU's pixel throughput is the primary constraint at this resolution, as the relative performance hit is uniform regardless of the settings load.

At 3840x2160, the system still manages playable frame rates across all presets. Low settings yield 154 FPS average, Medium yields 129 FPS with a range of 110-148, High yields 115 FPS, and Ultra yields 102 FPS. The drop from 1440p to 4K is more severe: 33.0% at Low, 33.2% at Medium, 33.1% at High, and 32.9% at Ultra. The consistency of these drops, around 33%, confirms that the RTX 3080's rendering capability is the limiting factor at 4K, as the performance penalty is directly proportional to the increase in pixel count from 3.7 million to 8.3 million pixels.

The complete dataset shows a smooth performance curve with no anomalies. The system never drops below 100 FPS average in any tested configuration, and the minimum FPS reported, 110 at 4K Medium, remains well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The highest observed maximum FPS is 294 at 1080p Medium, which is close to the 306 average at 1080p Low, indicating that the system can sustain very high frame rates without significant variance.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 7600 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 ranks 1030 out of 3710 tested combos in Dave The Diver, placing it in the top 27.8% of all configurations. This ranking reflects the system's strong performance, but it is not at the absolute top tier, which is expected given that the RTX 3080 is an end-of-life product with a 68th percentile ranking among all GPUs.

The GPU's nearest rivals in the benchmark database include the NVIDIA P106-100, which has a 0.3% higher average score, and the AMD Radeon RX 6600M, which is 0.4% lower. These deltas are minimal, indicating that the RTX 3080 sits in a densely packed performance band. The GPU's passmark_g3d score of 25086 and 3dmark_steel_nomad_dx12 score of 4407 are the key metrics that drive its ranking, and these translate into the measured FPS numbers seen in this game.

The CPU's ranking is slightly higher, at the 78th percentile among all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, scores only 0.2% higher, and the Intel Core i9-11900KF scores 0.4% higher. This tight clustering means that swapping the 7600 for any of these alternatives would result in negligible performance changes in Dave The Diver, since the game is not heavily multithreaded and the 7600's single-thread performance is competitive.

The combo ranking of 1030 out of 3710 suggests that while this system outperforms the majority of tested configurations, there are over a thousand combos that produce higher frame rates. These likely include newer GPUs with higher performance ceilings, such as the RTX 3080's successor, the GeForce 40 series, which would offer better 4K performance. However, for the resolutions and settings tested, this combo delivers frame rates that exceed the requirements for high-refresh-rate monitors at 1440p and solid 4K performance.

Settings Recommendations

For 4K gaming, the Ultra preset at 102 FPS average is the best choice if visual fidelity is the priority, as it remains well above the 60 FPS threshold. However, the High preset at 115 FPS offers a 12.7% performance improvement with only a minor reduction in visual quality, making it the more practical recommendation for most users. The Medium preset at 129 FPS provides an additional 12.2% boost over High, but the visual difference between Medium and High in a game like Dave The Diver is likely more noticeable than the frame rate difference, so High strikes the better balance.

At 2560x1440, the High preset at 172 FPS is the optimal choice. It provides a significant visual upgrade over Medium while maintaining a frame rate that exceeds the refresh rate of most 1440p monitors, which typically top out at 144Hz or 165Hz. The Ultra preset at 152 FPS is also viable if the monitor supports it, but the 11.6% frame rate penalty from High to Ultra may not justify the visual gains. The Low preset at 230 FPS is only useful for competitive play, which is not the primary use case for this game.

For 1080p, the Ultra preset at 202 FPS is the recommended setting, as it delivers the best visual experience while still producing frame rates that exceed the capabilities of most 1080p monitors, which typically run at 240Hz or lower. The Medium preset at 256 FPS and High at 228 FPS are also excellent, but the marginal frame rate increases over Ultra are not worth the loss in visual quality. The Low preset at 306 FPS is unnecessary for this game, as even the Ultra setting provides smooth gameplay.

The data shows that the system can handle any settings combination without dropping below 100 FPS average, so the choice comes down to personal preference. For a visually rich game like Dave The Diver, prioritizing the High or Ultra presets at any resolution is the sensible approach, with the 1440p High setting being the single best combination of performance and quality across the entire dataset.