Dave The Diver

# Dave The Diver: Intel Core i3-12100F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti

The pairing of Intel’s 4-core Core i3-12100F with NVIDIA’s RTX 4070 Ti creates an unusual split in Dave The Diver: the GPU is clearly capable of extreme frame rates, yet the CPU’s modest core count and thread resources may become the deciding factor at lower resolutions. The benchmark data shows this combo delivering well over 200 FPS at 1440p and even exceeding 360 FPS at 1080p on Low settings, which suggests the game is not heavily threaded. However, the 72nd percentile CPU score versus the 85th percentile GPU score hints that the processor is the weaker link in this pairing, particularly when settings are turned down and frame rates climb past 300 FPS.

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

The Intel Core i3-12100F is a 4-core, 8-thread processor based on Alder Lake architecture, built on Intel’s 10 nm process. Its base clock of 3.30 GHz and boost clock of 4.30 GHz provide solid single-thread performance, as evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1681 and a 3DMark single-thread score of 893. Multi-threaded performance is less impressive — the Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 11912 and 3DMark max-threads score of 4023 reflect the physical limitation of only 4 cores. In Dave The Diver, an adventure title that does not appear to scale heavily with CPU resources, this processor still manages to keep up with the RTX 4070 Ti at 4K, where the average FPS at High settings is 139.1.

The data reveals a pattern: as resolution drops from 4K to 1080p, the FPS gains are substantial but not proportional to the GPU’s raw capability. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 364.8 FPS, which is 2.6x the 4K High result of 139.1 FPS. This scaling suggests that at 1080p, the CPU is beginning to constrain the GPU — the RTX 4070 Ti could likely push even higher frame rates if given more CPU headroom. The CPU’s 12 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB L2 per core are adequate for the game’s data requirements, but the PassMark single-thread score of 3444 shows this is a processor designed for efficiency rather than extreme multi-core workloads.

Compared to its nearest rivals, the i3-12100F sits within 1.8% of the Intel Core i7-7700K and 0.6% of the Intel Core i3-10105 in average benchmark score, with a delta of -0.1% versus the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX. This clustering indicates that for a game like Dave The Diver, any of these CPUs would deliver similar frame rates, and the choice of GPU matters far more. The CPU’s 8 threads are enough to avoid major bottlenecks in this title, but the 3DMark 16-thread score of 4051 versus 2-thread score of 1659 confirms that the processor’s advantage lies in single-core tasks, which aligns with the game’s apparent engine behavior.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process from TSMC, featuring 35,800 million transistors on a 294 mm² die. Its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus delivers 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth, which is more than sufficient for Dave The Diver’s art style — the game’s 2D/3D hybrid visuals do not require massive texture throughput. The GPU’s boost clock of 2610 MHz and FP32 performance of 40.09 TFLOPS explain why even at 4K Ultra, the combo still achieves 123 FPS, a result that would be considered high-refresh territory on many displays.

The GPU’s benchmark scores reinforce its position: a PassMark G3D score of 31624 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 5024 place it in the 85th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the RTX 5090 Mobile (-0.6% delta) and the Intel Arc A730M (-1.5% delta), which shows the 4070 Ti is competitive with laptop flagship parts despite being a desktop card. In Dave The Diver, the GPU is rarely the limiting factor — even at 4K High, the 139.1 FPS average is far above the 60 FPS threshold, and the gap between Low (186.5 FPS) and Ultra (123 FPS) at 4K demonstrates that the GPU has ample headroom across all settings.

The RTX 4070 Ti’s 60 RT cores and 240 tensor cores are largely unused in this title, as Dave The Diver does not appear to employ ray tracing or DLSS-heavy workloads. The 80 ROPs and 240 TMUs handle the game’s sprite-based rendering efficiently, and the 12 GB VRAM prevents any memory capacity issues at 4K. The GPU’s 285 W TDP and 600 W suggested PSU are worth noting for system builders, but the performance data shows that the 4070 Ti is over-provisioned for this game — the 1080p Low result of 364.8 FPS is likely throttled by the CPU rather than the GPU’s limits.

FAQ

Q: Is the Intel Core i3-12100F a bottleneck for the RTX 4070 Ti in Dave The Diver?

A: At 4K, no — the GPU is still the primary driver, with FPS ranging from 123 (Ultra) to 186.5 (Low). At 1080p, the evidence suggests partial CPU limitation, as the FPS jump from 4K High (139.1) to 1080p High (282.4) is 2.03x, but the jump from 1080p High to 1080p Low (364.8) is only 1.29x, indicating diminishing returns as the CPU approaches its limits.

Q: What is the best settings preset for this combo at 1440p?

A: The data shows 1440p High achieves 211.3 FPS, which is a 22.6 FPS improvement over 1440p Ultra (188.7 FPS) while still looking excellent. Medium (233.4 FPS) and Low (284.6 FPS) offer higher frame rates but with reduced visual fidelity. High strikes the best balance for most users.

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

A: The combo ranks 192nd out of 1626 tested combos, placing it in the top 11.8% of all pairings. This is a strong result, though the rank reflects the CPU’s limitations — a higher-end processor would likely push the GPU to even better scores.

Q: Can this system achieve 4K 120 FPS in Dave The Diver?

A: Yes, but only on Medium settings (160.8 FPS) or lower. At 4K High, the average is 139.1 FPS, which still exceeds 120 FPS, but 4K Ultra drops to 123 FPS — just above the threshold. For consistent 120+ FPS at 4K, Medium is the recommended preset.

Q: Does the RTX 4070 Ti’s 12 GB VRAM cause any issues at 4K?

A: No. The game’s highest measured preset (4K Ultra) still delivers 123 FPS, and there are no signs of VRAM-related stutters or frame drops in the data. The 504.2 GB/s bandwidth is ample for this title’s texture loads.

Q: How does the CPU’s single-thread performance affect the game?

A: The i3-12100F’s strong single-core scores (Cinebench R23 single-core: 1681; PassMark single-thread: 3444) are crucial, as Dave The Diver appears to rely on a primary thread for game logic. The 3DMark 2-thread score of 1659 versus 4-thread score of 2859 shows that scaling beyond 2 threads helps, but the game likely doesn’t benefit much from the CPU’s 8 threads beyond that point.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest raw frame rates: Low settings produce 364.8 FPS, Medium 316.1 FPS, High 282.4 FPS, and Ultra 245.6 FPS. These numbers indicate that at 1080p, the RTX 4070 Ti is essentially unconstrained by resolution, and the differences between presets are moderate — the gap from Low to Ultra is 119.2 FPS, or 32.7% of the Low result.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates remain very high but show a clearer distinction between presets: Low hits 284.6 FPS, Medium 233.4 FPS, High 211.3 FPS, and Ultra 188.7 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p averages about 23% across all settings, which is consistent with the GPU handling more pixels. The Ultra preset still exceeds 180 FPS, making 1440p a sweet spot for high-refresh monitors.

At 3840x2160, the GPU begins to show its limits: Low achieves 186.5 FPS, Medium 160.8 FPS, High 139.1 FPS, and Ultra 123 FPS. The difference between 1080p and 4K is substantial — the 4K Ultra result is exactly half of the 1080p Ultra result (123 vs 245.6 FPS). This scaling pattern is typical for a GPU-bound scenario, where doubling the pixel count roughly halves the frame rate when the CPU is not the bottleneck.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 192 out of 1626 tested combinations places it in the 88.2nd percentile of all pairings. This is a strong result, but the ranking suggests that the i3-12100F is holding back the RTX 4070 Ti in some scenarios. The CPU’s 72nd percentile score versus the GPU’s 85th percentile score reveals a mismatch: the GPU is capable of performing at a higher level than the CPU can feed it at lower resolutions. The data supports this interpretation, as the FPS gains from 1440p to 1080p are smaller (e.g., High: 211.3 to 282.4, a 33.7% increase) than the gains from 4K to 1440p (e.g., High: 139.1 to 211.3, a 51.9% increase). This diminishing return at 1080p is a classic sign of CPU limitation.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience, the data points to 1440p High as the optimal preset. At 211.3 FPS, it offers a 22.6 FPS advantage over Ultra (188.7 FPS) while maintaining most visual quality. The jump from High to Medium (233.4 FPS) gains only 22.1 FPS, which is not worth the visual downgrade for most players. At 4K, Medium (160.8 FPS) is the recommended choice — it provides a 21.7 FPS improvement over High (139.1 FPS) and stays comfortably above 144 Hz refresh rates. For players with 1080p 240 Hz monitors, Medium (316.1 FPS) or High (282.4 FPS) both exceed the refresh threshold, with Low (364.8 FPS) only necessary for competitive play where visual fidelity is secondary. Ultra presets at any resolution are not recommended, as they provide the lowest frame rates without a proportional visual benefit — the Ultra to High gap at 4K is only 16.1 FPS.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K reveals the limiting component clearly. Across all settings, the average FPS at 4K is approximately 52% of the 1080p value: Low drops from 364.8 to 186.5 (51.1%), Medium from 316.1 to 160.8 (50.9%), High from 282.4 to 139.1 (49.3%), and Ultra from 245.6 to 123 (50.1%). This roughly 50% reduction is consistent with a GPU-bound scenario, as 4K has exactly four times the pixels of 1080p, and the frame rate should theoretically drop to 25% if the GPU were fully saturated. The fact that it only drops to 50% indicates that at 1080p, the CPU is already limiting performance — the GPU cannot fully utilize its potential until the resolution increases.

The scaling from 1440p to 4K further confirms this: the average FPS at 4K is about 61% of the 1440p value (e.g., High: 139.1/211.3 = 65.8%, Low: 186.5/284.6 = 65.5%). This is closer to the expected 56% (2.25x pixel count) but still suggests some CPU headroom at 1440p. The conclusion is that the RTX 4070 Ti is the dominant component at 4K, while the i3-12100F becomes the limiting factor at 1080p. Players targeting 1080p with this combo would benefit from a stronger CPU, but those using 1440p or 4K displays will see the GPU’s full potential realized.