Dave The Diver

Dave The Diver, an Adventure title released on 2023-06-27, is not typically a demanding showcase title, yet the measured data for the Intel Core i5-11400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER reveals a combination that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at higher resolutions while exhibiting clear CPU limitations at 1080p. The benchmark results show this combo achieving a rank of 281 out of 1626 tested combinations, placing it in the top 17.3% of all tested systems for this specific title, a strong showing that reflects the raw capability of the graphics card rather than the processor.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 281 out of 1626 tested combinations indicates a top-tier performance bracket for Dave The Diver. This placement is more attributable to the GPU’s raw horsepower than the CPU’s contribution, as the RTX 4070 SUPER sits in the 84th percentile of all GPUs, while the Core i5-11400F is in the 75th percentile of all CPUs. The processor’s average benchmark score of 17181 places it in close competition with the AMD Ryzen 7 5700U (deltaPct of 0) and the Intel Core i7-1260P (deltaPct of -0.2), meaning its compute potential is essentially on par with those mobile-class parts. However, in this game, the measured FPS figures far exceed what the CPU’s modest multi-threaded performance (Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 14372) would suggest, confirming that the workload scales heavily with the GPU. The system’s position in the ranking is a direct result of the RTX 4070 SUPER’s PassMark G3D score of 29995, which is only 0.2% behind the NVIDIA RTX A6000 and 0.3% behind the AMD Radeon RX 7650 GRE, making it a formidable performer for this adventure title. The data indicates that while the CPU is not a bottleneck at 4K, it becomes one at lower resolutions, yet the overall ranking remains high due to the sheer speed of the graphics card.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER is the dominant component in this configuration, and its specifications align perfectly with the frame rates observed. The card features 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, delivering a bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. For a game like Dave The Diver, which is not asset-heavy, this memory configuration is more than sufficient, allowing the GPU to operate without any memory-related stutters even at 4K Ultra settings, where the average FPS remains above 119. The GPU’s boost clock of 2475 MHz and its 7168 shading units provide the computational throughput necessary for the high frame rates seen across all settings. The card’s FP32 performance of 35.48 TFLOPS is a key indicator of its ability to handle the pixel and texture work, with a pixel rate of 198.0 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 554.4 GTexel/s. These specifications translate directly to the measured results: at 1080p Low, the average FPS hits 313.7, a figure that is only possible with a GPU that can process draw calls and rasterize geometry at an extremely rapid pace. The 80 ROPs and 224 TMUs further support the high fill rates required for the game’s 2D and 3D elements. The GPU’s performance percentile of 84% and its average benchmark score of 42576, which is within 1.6% of the NVIDIA Tesla M40, confirm that this card is a high-end solution that drives the combo’s ranking.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of how the system scales across resolutions, revealing the transition from CPU-bound to GPU-bound behavior. At 1080p, the average FPS ranges from 232.2 (Ultra) to 313.7 (Low), showing that the Intel Core i5-11400F, with its 6 cores and 12 threads boosting up to 4.40 GHz, is the limiting factor. The performance delta between 1080p Low (313.7 FPS) and 1080p Ultra (232.2 FPS) is a 35% drop, which is significant and indicates that even at these high frame rates, the CPU cannot fully feed the GPU. Moving to 1440p, the frame rates drop by approximately 25% across all settings: from 264.7 to 197.8 FPS at High, and from 313.7 to 267.7 FPS at Low. This scaling is more consistent with a GPU-limited scenario, as the resolution increase adds pixel workload without a proportional CPU cost. At 4K, the system becomes decidedly GPU-bound, with average FPS dropping to 119.4 at Ultra and 177.2 at Low. The scaling from 1440p to 4K at High settings shows a 31% reduction (197.8 to 136 FPS), which is close to the theoretical pixel count increase, confirming that the RTX 4070 SUPER is the primary constraint at this resolution. The data strongly suggests that for users targeting 1080p or 1440p, the CPU will cap performance, but at 4K, the GPU’s workload dominates, and the system still delivers playable frame rates.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The benchmark results are comprehensive, covering three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the average FPS is remarkably high across the board: Low yields 313.7 FPS, Medium 297.2 FPS, High 264.7 FPS, and Ultra 232.2 FPS. These numbers indicate that the game is exceptionally well-optimized for this hardware, but the diminishing returns between Medium and Low (a 5% difference) versus High and Ultra (a 12% difference) suggest that the CPU’s single-thread performance (a Geekbench single-core score of 1979) is becoming a bottleneck at the lower settings. At 2560x1440, the average FPS figures are still excellent: Low at 267.7, Medium at 224.8, High at 197.8, and Ultra at 174.6. The spread between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 53%, which is larger than at 1080p (35%), indicating the GPU is now more engaged. The most demanding configuration tested is 3840x2160 Ultra, which produces an average of 119.4 FPS, still well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. At 4K Low, the system achieves 177.2 FPS, showing that even at the highest resolution, the GPU has substantial headroom. The progression from 1080p Ultra (232.2 FPS) to 1440p Ultra (174.6 FPS) to 4K Ultra (119.4 FPS) is a clear linear degradation that aligns with the increasing pixel count, confirming the GPU’s role as the main performance driver at these settings.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 4K, the Ultra preset delivers an average of 119.4 FPS, which is already excellent for a high-fidelity experience. There is little reason to downgrade to High (136 FPS) unless the user prioritizes a slightly higher refresh rate, but the 14% performance gain comes at the cost of visual quality. For users with a 1440p monitor, the High preset at 197.8 FPS is the sweet spot, offering a 13% improvement over Ultra (174.6 FPS) while maintaining near-maximum visual fidelity. Pushing to Medium (224.8 FPS) provides a further 14% gain but begins to compromise the game’s aesthetic. At 1080p, the High preset (264.7 FPS) is recommended over Ultra (232.2 FPS) because the 14% performance increase is more beneficial for high-refresh-rate displays, and the visual difference between High and Ultra in this title is not worth the frame rate loss. The Low preset at any resolution is unnecessary, as even 4K Ultra exceeds 119 FPS, making it a viable option for all users. The data indicates that the Medium preset is a balanced choice for 4K if frame rates are prioritized, as it yields 149.2 FPS, a 25% increase over Ultra, but the High preset remains the best overall recommendation for its combination of visual quality and performance across all resolutions.