Dave The Diver

Dave The Diver is not a demanding title, but the benchmark data for the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 combination reveals a system that obliterates this game at every setting and resolution. The measured frame rates are exceptionally high, ranging from 136 FPS at 4K Ultra to 408 FPS at 1080p Low. This pairing is massively overqualified, delivering performance that far exceeds the requirements of a smooth 60 FPS or even a high-refresh-rate 144 FPS experience. The data shows a system where the GPU is the primary scaling factor across resolutions, but the CPU's immense headroom ensures that even the highest frame rates are never bottlenecked.

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

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X is a 12-core, 24-thread processor based on the Zen 5 architecture. It operates with a base clock of 4.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, and its benchmark scores place it in the 92nd percentile of all CPUs. In the context of Dave The Diver, this processor provides a massive amount of computational headroom. The game's measured performance, which reaches as high as 408 FPS at 1080p Low, is only possible because the CPU can feed the GPU with data faster than the GPU can render frames at that resolution. The data suggests that at 1080p, the CPU is a critical enabler of the extreme frame rates, as the lower resolution places a smaller burden on the GPU.

The CPU's multi-threaded performance is exceptional, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32172, placing it in a league with server-class processors. Its nearest rivals include the AMD EPYC 7313 and Intel Core i9-14900, with the 9900X scoring 0.2% higher than the EPYC and 1.1% lower than the i9-14900. This raw multi-threaded power is not strictly necessary for a game like Dave The Diver, which typically relies on a few strong cores. However, the single-threaded performance is equally impressive, with a Geekbench single-core score of 3010, ensuring that the game's primary game logic thread is never a limiting factor. The 3DMark single-thread score of 1286 and 2-thread score of 2519 further confirm that even with minimal thread usage, the CPU delivers top-tier responsiveness.

Given the extremely high frame rates observed, it is clear that Dave The Diver is not a CPU-bound title for this processor. The 9900X's 64 MB of L3 cache and 4 nm process node contribute to its efficiency, but the primary takeaway is that the CPU is a silent partner in this configuration, providing a stable platform that allows the GPU to express its full potential. Even in the most CPU-sensitive scenario (1080p Low), the 408 FPS average suggests the CPU is still not at its limit, as the frame rate is more likely constrained by the GPU's rendering speed and the game engine's draw call efficiency. The data shows a component that is effectively a non-factor in performance, which is the highest compliment for a processor in a gaming build.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is the primary driver of the performance in Dave The Diver, and its capabilities are more than sufficient for this game. The GPU has 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s. This memory configuration is vastly oversized for a game with relatively simple textures and geometry, ensuring that there is no risk of VRAM capacity or bandwidth becoming a bottleneck at any resolution or setting tested. The GPU's core clocks are 2205 MHz base and 2505 MHz boost, built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process.

The benchmark results show a direct correlation between the GPU's workload and the frame rates. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 136, which is the most demanding scenario tested. This reflects the GPU's raw power, as maintaining over 130 FPS at 4K with maximum settings is a feat that only the fastest cards can achieve. The RTX 4080's performance in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test is 6567, and its Passmark G3D score is 34457, placing it in the 86th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER, scores 0.1% higher, indicating that the standard 4080 is at the very top of the performance stack.

The GPU's role becomes more pronounced as the resolution increases. At 1080p, the GPU is often waiting for the CPU to send draw calls, but at 4K, the GPU becomes the definitive limiting component. This is evidenced by the scaling of FPS from 1080p to 4K, which will be detailed further in the resolution scaling section. The RTX 4080's 76 RT cores and 304 Tensor cores are largely irrelevant for this game, as Dave The Diver does not appear to utilize ray tracing or DLSS in the measured settings. Instead, the GPU's raw rasterization performance, driven by its 9728 shading units and 112 ROPs, is what determines the final output. The data indicates that the RTX 4080 is so powerful that it effectively trivializes the graphical demands of this game, providing a smooth and fluid experience even at the highest settings with headroom to spare.

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

The measured FPS data across resolutions provides a clear picture of how the system scales and which component becomes the bottleneck. At the Low preset, the average FPS drops from 408 at 1080p, to 307 at 1440p, and finally to 206 at 4K. This represents a 24.8% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 32.9% drop from 1440p to 4K. This scaling is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario, where increasing the pixel count directly increases the workload on the graphics card. The CPU is not the limiting factor here because the frame rates are so high; instead, the RTX 4080's rendering speed is what dictates the output.

For the Ultra preset, the trend is similar but with lower absolute frame rates. The average FPS drops from 269 at 1080p, to 203 at 1440p, and to 136 at 4K. The percentage drops are 24.5% from 1080p to 1440p and 33.0% from 1440p to 4K. This near-identical scaling pattern across presets confirms that the limiting component remains the GPU regardless of the graphics settings. The transition from 1080p to 1440p consistently results in about a 25% reduction in FPS, while the transition from 1440p to 4K results in about a 33% reduction. This is a classic sign of a pixel-throughput-limited GPU, as the RTX 4080's fill rate and memory bandwidth are stretched further with each resolution increase.

The data also reveals that the CPU is never a bottleneck in this title. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect the FPS to remain relatively flat when lowering the resolution, as the CPU's workload would remain constant. However, the FPS increases dramatically from 4K to 1080p, indicating that the GPU has more headroom to work with at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the 408 FPS average is likely near the game engine's maximum frame rate cap or the point where the CPU's single-thread performance becomes a soft limit, but the consistent scaling pattern suggests the GPU is still the primary driver. The system is unequivocally GPU-bound in Dave The Diver, and the RTX 4080 is the component that determines the final frame rate at every resolution and preset.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS this system can achieve in Dave The Diver?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 408, achieved at 1920x1080 with the Low settings preset.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 compare to its closest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER?

A: The RTX 4080's average benchmark score is 54247, which is 0.1% lower than the RTX 4080 SUPER's score of 54209, indicating they are nearly identical in performance.

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X a bottleneck for the RTX 4080 in this game?

A: No, the data shows the system is GPU-bound. The FPS scales significantly with resolution, from 408 FPS at 1080p Low to 206 FPS at 4K Low, indicating the GPU is the limiting factor, not the CPU.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for the 4K Medium preset?

A: For the 3840x2160 resolution with Medium settings, the minimum FPS recorded is 146, with an average of 172 and a maximum of 198.

Q: What is the CPU's percentile ranking compared to all other CPUs?

A: The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X is in the 92nd percentile of all CPUs, indicating it is faster than 92% of all processors in the benchmark database.

Q: What is the GPU's memory bandwidth and size?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 has 16 GB of GDDR6X memory with a bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this system depend on the user's display and preference for frame rate versus visual fidelity. For a 4K display, the High preset offers the best balance, achieving an average of 154 FPS. This is well above the 144 Hz refresh rate of most high-end monitors and provides a significant visual upgrade over the Medium preset while only sacrificing 18 FPS (from 172 FPS at Medium to 154 FPS at High). The Ultra preset at 4K still delivers a very playable 136 FPS, but the marginal visual difference between High and Ultra is often not worth the 11.7% performance drop. For users prioritizing maximum smoothness at 4K, the Medium preset at 172 FPS is also a strong choice, but High is recommended for the best combination of image quality and performance.

At 1440p, the High preset is the clear winner, delivering an average of 230 FPS. This is an excellent frame rate for competitive or high-refresh-rate gaming, and it leaves headroom for future, more demanding titles. The Ultra preset at 1440p still achieves 203 FPS, which is also fantastic, but the jump from High to Ultra is not necessary for a smooth experience. For 1080p users, the High preset at 305 FPS is more than enough, and even the Ultra preset at 269 FPS provides a buttery-smooth experience. The data suggests that the Low and Medium presets offer no tangible benefit on this hardware, as the frame rate is already so high that the visual quality loss is not justified by a marginal FPS increase. We recommend the High preset for all resolutions, as it provides an outstanding balance of visual fidelity and performance, consistently delivering frame rates that far exceed the refresh rate capabilities of most displays.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table details the exact average FPS (and min/max where available) for each resolution and settings preset measured for Dave The Diver.

1920x1080 (1080p)

• Low: Average 408 FPS
• Medium: Average 342 FPS, Minimum 290 FPS, Maximum 393 FPS
• High: Average 305 FPS
• Ultra: Average 269 FPS

2560x1440 (1440p)

• Low: Average 307 FPS
• Medium: Average 257 FPS, Minimum 219 FPS, Maximum 296 FPS
• High: Average 230 FPS
• Ultra: Average 203 FPS

3840x2160 (4K)

• Low: Average 206 FPS
• Medium: Average 172 FPS, Minimum 146 FPS, Maximum 198 FPS
• High: Average 154 FPS
• Ultra: Average 136 FPS

The data confirms a consistent performance hierarchy. At every resolution, the Low preset yields the highest frame rate, followed by Medium, then High, with Ultra being the most demanding. The minimum FPS values recorded for the Medium preset show a healthy frame pacing, with the 4K Medium preset never dropping below 146 FPS, ensuring a smooth experience even in demanding scenes. The system's overall rank in the game's benchmark database is 215 out of 3710 possible combinations, placing it in the top 6% of all tested configurations, which confirms the raw power of this pairing.