Dave The Diver

# CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture, built on TSMC's 4 nm process node. It runs at a base clock of 4.20 GHz and boosts up to 4.70 GHz, with a 65 W TDP on the AMD Socket AM5 platform. The chip features 16 MB of shared L3 cache and 1 MB of L2 cache per core, which are modest by modern standards but entirely adequate for a game like Dave The Diver. This is not a title that stresses multi-threaded workloads heavily; it is a 2D adventure game with light physics and simulation elements, so the CPU's single-thread performance and memory bandwidth matter more than raw core counts.

The 8400F's benchmark results confirm its positioning. In Cinebench R23, it scores 20,851 in multi-core and 2,943 in single-core. In 3DMark's single-thread test, it manages 951 points, while the 16-thread test shows 6,091. The PassMark single-thread score is 3,685, and the multi-thread score is 24,389. Across all CPUs, the 8400F sits at the 77th percentile, putting it in the upper tier of mainstream processors. Its average benchmark score of 25,005 places it within 0.2% of the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F (24,964), 0.3% ahead of the Intel Core i7-11850H (24,935), and 0.4% ahead of the Intel Core i7-13620H (24,911). The only rival that edges it out is the AMD EPYC 9474F, which scores 25,103, a 0.4% difference — negligible in real-world gaming.

For Dave The Diver specifically, the CPU's role is to feed the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 with enough draw calls and game logic updates to keep frame rates high. The measured FPS data shows that even at 1080p Ultra, the combo achieves 269 FPS on average, and at 1080p Low it hits 390 FPS. These numbers indicate that the 8400F is not a bottleneck even at lower resolutions where CPU load is proportionally higher. The 12 threads handle the game's background simulation — fish AI, water physics, and shop interactions — without breaking a sweat. The boost clock of 4.70 GHz ensures snappy single-threaded responses, which is crucial for a game that relies on precise timing mechanics like harpooning and cooking minigames.

One important note: the 8400F has no integrated graphics, but that is irrelevant here since the RTX 4080 handles all rendering. The CPU's DDR5 memory support and dual-channel bus with 83.2 GB/s bandwidth are more than sufficient for this title's modest memory demands. In summary, the 8400F is a capable, well-balanced partner for the RTX 4080 in this game, providing ample headroom across all settings and resolutions.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: Can this CPU/GPU combo run Dave The Diver at 4K Ultra smoothly?

A: Yes. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the combo averages 136 FPS. The minimum FPS is not recorded for Ultra, but the Medium preset at 4K shows a minimum of 146 FPS, indicating the system stays well above typical 60 FPS refresh rates even in demanding scenes.

Q: How does the Ryzen 5 8400F compare to its closest rival, the Ryzen 5 7500F?

A: The 8400F's average benchmark score is 25,005, which is just 0.2% higher than the Ryzen 5 7500F's 24,964. In practical terms, this is a statistical tie — you would not notice a difference in Dave The Diver or any other game. Both are 6-core Zen 4 parts with similar clocks.

Q: What is the best settings preset for a 144 Hz monitor at 1440p?

A: The High preset at 2560x1440 delivers 230 FPS on average, which is comfortably above 144 Hz. If you prefer maximum visual fidelity, Ultra at 1440p still hits 203 FPS, so you have headroom either way. Medium at 1440p averages 257 FPS with a minimum of 219 FPS, ensuring no dips below refresh rate.

Q: Is the RTX 4080 overkill for this game?

A: The data suggests it is extremely powerful for this title. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 390 FPS, and at 4K Ultra it still manages 136 FPS. The RTX 4080's 16 GB of GDDR6X memory and 716.8 GB/s bandwidth are far beyond what Dave The Diver requires, but this means you can run the game at maximum settings with zero compromises.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU at 1080p?

A: No. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the average FPS is 390. This is a very high frame rate that indicates the CPU is keeping up with the GPU's output. If the CPU were a limiting factor, you would see diminishing returns when lowering resolution, but the scaling from 1080p to 4K is consistent with a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations for Dave The Diver?

A: It ranks 273rd out of 3,710 combos, placing it in the top 7.4% of all tested systems. This is an excellent result, especially considering the CPU is a mid-range part paired with a high-end GPU.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Judging by the measured FPS data, the High preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance across all three resolutions. At 1080p High, the combo averages 305 FPS; at 1440p High, it averages 230 FPS; and at 4K High, it averages 154 FPS. These numbers are all well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth play, and even above 144 Hz for most high-refresh displays.

If you own a 4K 120 Hz display, the High preset is the sweet spot. At 154 FPS, you are getting more than enough frames to saturate a 120 Hz panel, and the visual fidelity is noticeably better than Medium (172 FPS) or Low (206 FPS). The Ultra preset at 4K drops to 136 FPS, which is still playable but offers diminishing returns for the extra GPU load — the difference between High and Ultra is typically subtle in this art style, which uses pixel art and 2D sprites rather than photorealistic textures.

For 1440p users with 144 Hz or 165 Hz monitors, High (230 FPS) is the clear winner. It provides a 27 FPS advantage over Ultra (203 FPS) while looking nearly identical in practice. Medium at 1440p (257 FPS) is a fallback if you want extra headroom for streaming or recording, but the visual downgrade is not worth it for most players.

At 1080p, the choice depends on your monitor's refresh rate. If you have a 240 Hz or 360 Hz panel, Low (390 FPS) or Medium (342 FPS) will maximize your competitive edge, though this game is not a fast-paced esports title. For a standard 144 Hz display, High (305 FPS) is more than sufficient and looks better. The Ultra preset at 1080p (269 FPS) is the most demanding but still exceeds any typical refresh rate.

The minimum FPS data is only recorded for the Medium preset: 290 FPS at 1080p, 219 FPS at 1440p, and 146 FPS at 4K. These minimums indicate that even in the busiest scenes with many fish on screen, the frame rate never drops to a jarring level. The High and Ultra presets lack min FPS data, but the averages suggest they will stay comfortably above 60 FPS in all scenarios.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 8400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 ranks 273rd out of 3,710 tested combos for Dave The Diver. This places it in the top 7.4% of all configurations, which is a strong showing for a CPU that costs $170 at launch and a GPU that is now end-of-life. The rank reflects the entire system's capability, and the data shows this pairing is well-balanced for this game.

To put the rank in perspective, there are 3,437 combos that rank below it, meaning the vast majority of tested systems cannot match this performance. The RTX 4080's 86th percentile ranking among all GPUs (average score 54,247) and the 8400F's 77th percentile among all CPUs (average score 25,005) combine to produce a system that excels in this title. The GPU is the dominant component, as expected, but the CPU does not hold it back — the 0.2% difference from the Ryzen 5 7500F is a rounding error in real-world terms.

In the context of Dave The Diver, which is not a graphically demanding game by modern standards, this combo is arguably over-specified. However, the rank of 273/3,710 indicates that many other high-end systems still outperform it, likely due to faster CPUs or newer GPUs. The RTX 4080 SUPER, which scores 0.1% higher than the RTX 4080 in synthetic benchmarks (54,209 vs 54,247), would likely push this combo higher up the rankings if paired with the same CPU.

The takeaway is that this combo delivers exceptional performance for the game, with no weak link in the chain. Whether you are playing at 1080p with maximum frame rates or 4K with high settings, the system delivers a smooth, responsive experience that justifies its position in the upper echelon of tested configurations.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data shows a clear pattern of performance scaling as resolution increases. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 305 at 1080p, to 230 at 1440p, and finally to 154 at 4K. This represents a 24.6% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a 33.0% drop from 1440p to 4K. The total reduction from 1080p to 4K is 49.5%, meaning the 4K performance is roughly half of the 1080p performance.

This scaling behavior is classic GPU-bound behavior. If the CPU were the limiting factor, you would expect the FPS to remain relatively flat across resolutions because the CPU's workload (game logic, draw calls) stays constant, while the GPU's workload (pixel shading, memory bandwidth) increases with resolution. The fact that FPS drops proportionally with pixel count indicates that the RTX 4080 is the bottleneck at higher resolutions, which is expected given that the GPU is a high-end part but still has finite resources.

At Low settings, the scaling is even more pronounced: 390 FPS at 1080p, 307 FPS at 1440p, and 206 FPS at 4K. The 4K Low performance is 47.2% lower than 1080p Low, which again points to GPU limits. At Medium settings, the numbers are 342 FPS (1080p), 257 FPS (1440p), and 172 FPS (4K), a 49.7% drop from 1080p to 4K. Ultra settings show 269 FPS at 1080p, 203 FPS at 1440p, and 136 FPS at 4K, a 49.4% drop.

The consistency of the ~50% drop from 1080p to 4K across all settings is a strong indicator that the system is not CPU-limited at any resolution. If the CPU were struggling, the percentage drop would be smaller at higher resolutions because the GPU would be waiting on the CPU. Instead, the data shows a linear relationship between pixel count and frame time, which is the hallmark of a GPU that is fully utilized.

The RTX 4080's 16 GB of GDDR6X memory and 256-bit bus provide 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth, which is sufficient for 4K textures but still requires more time to fill the larger frame buffer. The pixel rate of 280.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 761.5 GTexel/s are the specs that ultimately determine 4K performance, and the measured results reflect those limits. In short, if you want higher 4K FPS, you would need a more powerful GPU — but the RTX 4080 already delivers 136-206 FPS at 4K depending on settings, which is excellent for any game.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The following is the complete measured FPS data for the AMD Ryzen 5 8400F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 combo in Dave The Diver:

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: 390 FPS average
• Medium: 342 FPS average, 290 FPS minimum, 393 FPS maximum
• High: 305 FPS average
• Ultra: 269 FPS average

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: 307 FPS average
• Medium: 257 FPS average, 219 FPS minimum, 296 FPS maximum
• High: 230 FPS average
• Ultra: 203 FPS average

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: 206 FPS average
• Medium: 172 FPS average, 146 FPS minimum, 198 FPS maximum
• High: 154 FPS average
• Ultra: 136 FPS average

Breaking this down further, the Medium preset is the only one with recorded minimum and maximum FPS values, providing insight into frame time consistency. At 1080p Medium, the spread from minimum to maximum is 103 FPS (290 to 393), indicating some variance but never dropping below 290 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the spread is 77 FPS (219 to 296), and at 4K Medium, the spread is 52 FPS (146 to 198). The narrowing spread at higher resolutions suggests that the GPU becomes more consistently loaded, reducing the impact of CPU-induced frame spikes.

The scaling between presets is also worth noting. At 1080p, moving from Low to Ultra costs 121 FPS (390 to 269), a 31% reduction. At 1440p, the cost is 104 FPS (307 to 203), a 34% reduction. At 4K, the cost is 70 FPS (206 to 136), a 34% reduction. This consistent percentage across resolutions indicates that the visual settings have a uniform impact on GPU load, regardless of resolution.

For the highest performance, 1080p Low at 390 FPS is the maximum this combo can achieve. For the best visual quality at playable frame rates, 4K High at 154 FPS is the recommended choice. The Ultra preset at any resolution offers diminishing returns compared to High, with an average FPS penalty of 36 at 1080p, 27 at 1440p, and 18 at 4K. Given that Dave The Diver's art style does not benefit significantly from Ultra shadows or post-processing, High is the practical sweet spot.