Dave The Diver

Dave The Diver is not a demanding title, but the combination of the Intel Core i5-10400F and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 turns it into a high-refresh-rate showcase. The data places this specific configuration at rank 245 out of 1626 tested combos, putting it in the top 15% of all systems evaluated for this game. This ranking is driven almost entirely by the GPU's raw power, as the RTX 4090 sits in the 91st percentile of all graphics cards, while the i5-10400F, with a 73rd percentile ranking, is comparatively modest. The benchmark results show an overwhelming performance ceiling, with the system rarely dropping below 150 FPS even at maximum settings in 4K, indicating that the primary challenge for a user is not achieving playability, but rather deciding how to leverage the excess frame rate headroom.

How This Combo Ranks

The measured data shows this combination performs exceptionally well, securing a position of 245 out of 1626 tested combos. This places the system in the top 15.1% of all configurations benchmarked for Dave The Diver. The rank is a direct result of the GPU's dominance; the RTX 4090's average benchmark score of 66473 is a massive outlier compared to typical hardware, and its 91st percentile ranking versus all GPUs confirms its elite status. While the CPU is less impressive, ranking in the 73rd percentile, the game's low computational demands mean the GPU is rarely held back. The result is a system that delivers outstanding performance, but the ranking also highlights a significant imbalance: the CPU is a mid-range part from 2020, while the GPU is the flagship from 2022. This pairing ensures the GPU dictates the experience, which in this specific game, leads to near-maximum frame rates across the board.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is the clear driving force behind these results. Its specifications are formidable: 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, providing 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is overkill for Dave The Diver, but it ensures zero bandwidth bottlenecks even at 4K resolution. The GPU's clock speeds are equally impressive, with a base of 2235 MHz and a boost of 2520 MHz. These high clocks, combined with 16384 shading units, allow the card to process the game's 2D sprites and simple 3D environments with immense efficiency. The benchmark data confirms this, showing that the GPU maintains high average FPS even at the most demanding settings. For instance, at 4K Ultra, the card still produces 151.9 FPS, a figure that most other GPUs cannot achieve at 1080p in more demanding titles. The GPU's 91st percentile ranking and its position relative to rivals—being 0.5% ahead of the NVIDIA Tesla P40 and 1.3% behind the NVIDIA Quadro P6000—show it is a top-tier performer, though its actual in-game performance is far beyond what those synthetic scores suggest.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data suggests that the "Ultra" preset is the best experience for users with this hardware. At 4K Ultra, the system averages 151.9 FPS, which is well above the 144Hz refresh rate that many high-end monitors offer. This means you get the maximum visual quality without sacrificing smoothness. While the "Low" preset at 4K yields a higher 214 FPS, the visual downgrade is not worth the extra 62 frames per second, as the game is not a fast-paced competitive shooter where such gains are critical. At 1440p, the Ultra preset delivers 209.4 FPS, again comfortably exceeding high-refresh-rate displays. The most balanced choice is 4K Ultra, as it fully utilizes the GPU's power and provides a visually rich experience at a frame rate that is still exceptionally smooth. The data shows no reason to drop below the Ultra preset, as even the most demanding settings do not push the system to its limits.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data reveals a performance profile that scales predictably with resolution and settings. At 1920x1080, the system is heavily CPU-limited, with the average FPS ranging from 232.3 on Ultra to 265.7 on Low. The gap between settings is compressed, indicating the CPU is the bottleneck at this resolution. Moving to 2560x1440, the GPU begins to take on more work, and the spread widens slightly: Low averages 242.3 FPS, Medium 230.1 FPS, High 221.1 FPS, and Ultra 209.4 FPS. At 4K (3840x2160), the GPU becomes the primary limiting factor, and the setting choices have a more pronounced effect. The Low preset averages 214 FPS, Medium drops to 190 FPS, High to 169.7 FPS, and Ultra to 151.9 FPS. This progression shows that even at 4K Ultra, the system maintains a frame rate above 150 FPS, which is exceptional. The data confirms that the RTX 4090 has enough headroom to handle any configuration, and the user's choice of resolution has a more significant impact on frame rate than the in-game settings.

FAQ

*Q: Can this system run Dave The Diver at 4K with maximum settings?*

A: Yes. The measured data shows an average FPS of 151.9 at 3840x2160 with the Ultra preset, which is not only playable but also smooth on high-refresh-rate monitors.

Q: What is the performance difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 242.3 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 209.4 FPS. The difference is 32.9 FPS, indicating that the Ultra preset provides a significant visual upgrade for a modest 13.6% performance cost.

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck for this game?

A: The data suggests that the CPU becomes a limiting factor only at 1080p. At 1920x1080, the average FPS across all settings is tightly grouped between 232.3 and 265.7, indicating that the 6-core, 12-thread i5-10400F is reaching its limit. At higher resolutions, the GPU takes over as the primary bottleneck.

Q: How does the RTX 4090 compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 4090 has an average benchmark score of 66473. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA Tesla T4, scores 66733, which is 0.4% higher. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56 scores 67097, 0.9% higher, and the NVIDIA Quadro P6000 scores 67320, 1.3% higher. It is 0.5% ahead of the NVIDIA Tesla P40.

Q: What is the best resolution to play at to maximize frame rate?

A: If maximizing FPS is the only goal, then 1920x1080 with the Low preset provides the highest average at 265.7 FPS. However, the data shows that 4K Ultra at 151.9 FPS is a more balanced experience.

Q: Does the RTX 4090's 24 GB of VRAM affect performance in this game?

A: The data does not indicate any VRAM limitation. The 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus provides 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth, which is far more than Dave The Diver requires, ensuring that memory capacity is never a performance constraint.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-10400F plays a supporting role in this configuration. With 6 cores and 12 threads, it is a competent processor, but its 2.90 GHz base clock and 4.30 GHz boost clock are modest by current standards. Its benchmark scores, such as 10297 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 1453 in single-core, place it in the 73rd percentile of all CPUs. In Dave The Diver, this translates to a situation where the CPU can become the limiting factor at lower resolutions. The data shows that at 1080p, the FPS is nearly identical across all settings, which is a classic sign of a CPU bottleneck. The CPU's performance is close to its rivals, with a 0.4% lead over the AMD EPYC 7552 and a 1.1% deficit versus the Intel Core i5-8500. However, the game is not heavily threaded, and the 12 MB of shared L3 cache is sufficient for its needs. The CPU ensures that the system never stutters due to a lack of processing power, but it also prevents the GPU from reaching its full potential at 1080p.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data shows how the system's performance scales as resolution increases, revealing the shift in bottleneck. At 1080p, the average FPS across all settings is roughly 249, but the range is narrow (232.3 to 265.7), indicating a CPU limit. When moving to 1440p, the average FPS drops to about 225, a 9.6% decrease from 1080p, and the range widens (209.4 to 242.3), showing the GPU starting to become more relevant. At 4K, the average FPS falls to about 181, a 19.6% decrease from 1440p and a 27.3% decrease from 1080p. This larger drop at 4K confirms that the GPU is now the primary limiting component. The RTX 4090's performance at 4K Ultra (151.9 FPS) is still excellent, but the scaling pattern shows that the CPU holds back performance at lower resolutions. For users seeking the highest frame rates, 1080p is the choice, but for a balanced system where the GPU is fully utilized, 4K is the better option, as the performance is still exceptionally high.