Dave The Diver

Dave The Diver is a 2D adventure title that rarely pushes hardware to its limits, but the data for the Intel Core i5-12400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D shows a system that delivers exceptionally high frame rates across all tested configurations. With a combo rank of 69 out of 2867 tested combinations, this pairing sits firmly in the top percentile of systems tested for this game, indicating that it is overqualified for the task but still yields a remarkably smooth experience. The benchmark results demonstrate that the primary bottleneck in this pairing shifts between the CPU and GPU depending on resolution and settings, revealing an interesting dynamic for a game that is primarily known for its pixel-art aesthetic rather than graphical intensity.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the Alder Lake-S architecture, running on the Intel Socket 1700 platform. It operates with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The processor features a 10 nm process node and a die size of 163 mm². Its cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and a shared 18 MB L3 cache. It supports dual-channel DDR4 and DDR5 memory, and its market segment is desktop, with a production status of Active, having been released on 2022-01-03.

In synthetic benchmarks, the i5-12400 demonstrates solid multi-threaded capability with a 3DMark max threads score of 5890 and a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 15989. Single-thread performance is also respectable, with a 3DMark single-thread score of 910 and a Cinebench R23 singlecore score of 2257. Its average benchmark score is 18683, placing it at the 72nd percentile among all CPUs tested. When compared to its nearest rivals, the AMD EPYC 7643 scores an average of 18697, putting the i5-12400 just 0.1% behind, while the Intel Core i7-1355U scores 18730, a 0.3% difference, and the AMD Ryzen AI 5 330 scores 18811, a 0.7% gap. Conversely, the Intel Core i3-14100F scores 18519, making the i5-12400 0.9% ahead of that part.

For Dave The Diver, the CPU’s role is primarily about maintaining a stable baseline for game logic and physics, which are not particularly demanding in a 2D adventure. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 366 FPS, which suggests the CPU is capable of feeding frames well beyond typical display refresh rates. The data indicates that the i5-12400 does not become a limiting factor at lower resolutions; even at 1080p Ultra, the average FPS remains at 316, showing that the processor’s 6 cores and 12 threads are sufficient to handle the game’s workload without introducing a bottleneck. The high single-thread score of 3456 in PassMark single-thread testing further supports that the CPU’s per-core performance is more than adequate for the game’s serial tasks.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is a flagship GPU based on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture, built on a 5 nm process node with a die size of 750 mm². It features 92,200 million transistors and a staggering 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s. The GPU’s clock speeds are listed with a base of 2017 MHz and a boost of 2407 MHz, with a memory clock of 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective). It has 21760 shading units, 680 TMUs, and 176 ROPs, along with 170 RT cores and 680 tensor cores. The GPU’s FP32 performance is 104.8 TFLOPS, and it has a TDP of 575 W, requiring a 950 W suggested PSU. It is a dual-slot card with a 16-pin power connector and uses a PCIe 5.0 x16 interface.

In synthetic benchmarks, the RTX 5090 D achieves a PassMark G3D score of 44065 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 376915. Its average benchmark score is 77712, placing it at the 92nd percentile among all GPUs. Compared to its nearest rivals, it is 1.1% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT (which scores 76904), but 1.6% behind the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (78940), 2.1% behind the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB (79396), and 2.4% behind the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB (79605).

For Dave The Diver, the GPU’s massive 32 GB of VRAM is entirely unnecessary, as the game’s asset sizes are modest, but the raw compute power ensures that frame rates are exceptionally high even at 4K. At 3840x2160 Ultra, the system still achieves an average of 164 FPS, which demonstrates the GPU’s ability to handle the game’s maximum settings at the highest resolution without breaking a sweat. The GPU’s clock speeds and core count ensure that even at 4K, the limiting factor is more likely the CPU’s ability to issue draw calls than the GPU’s rendering throughput. The data shows that the GPU is capable of pushing frame rates that far exceed the refresh rates of most monitors, making this pairing overkill for the visual demands of the game.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear scaling pattern as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K. At 1080p High, the average FPS is 330, which drops to 277 at 1440p High, and further to 186 at 4K High. This represents a 16% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a 44% drop from 1080p to 4K. The pattern is similar across other settings. For Low settings, the average FPS goes from 366 at 1080p to 333 at 1440p and 248 at 4K, showing a 9% drop to 1440p and a 32% drop to 4K. Medium settings show a drop from 343 at 1080p to 310 at 1440p and 208 at 4K, representing a 10% and 39% drop respectively. Ultra settings scale from 316 at 1080p to 245 at 1440p and 164 at 4K, with drops of 22% and 48%.

The scaling behavior indicates that the GPU becomes the primary limiting component at higher resolutions, particularly at 4K. The larger drops from 1440p to 4K (ranging from 25% on Low to 33% on Ultra) compared to the drops from 1080p to 1440p (ranging from 9% to 22%) suggest that the GPU’s rendering load increases disproportionately with pixel count. However, even at 4K Ultra, the average FPS of 164 is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, indicating that the RTX 5090 D has ample headroom. At 1080p, the frame rates are so high (316-366 FPS) that the CPU is likely the limiting factor, as the GPU is not being fully utilized at such low resolutions. The data suggests that the system is GPU-bound at 4K and becomes more CPU-bound as resolution decreases, but neither component ever reaches a point where it causes a noticeable performance drop.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the Low preset yields an average of 366 FPS, which is the highest score across all tested configurations. Medium settings at 1080p produce an average of 343 FPS with a minimum of 292 and a maximum of 395 FPS. High settings at 1080p achieve 330 FPS on average, while Ultra settings deliver 316 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 50 FPS, or about 14%, indicating that the graphical settings have a relatively modest impact at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but show a noticeable decrease. Low settings average 333 FPS, Medium settings average 310 FPS with a range of 264 to 357 FPS, High settings average 277 FPS, and Ultra settings average 245 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 88 FPS, or about 26%, which is a larger relative drop than at 1080p. This suggests that the GPU is starting to become more of a factor at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the performance is still impressive but shows the most significant scaling. Low settings produce an average of 248 FPS, Medium settings average 208 FPS with a minimum of 177 and a maximum of 239 FPS, High settings average 186 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 164 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 84 FPS, or about 34%, reflecting the GPU’s increased workload at higher resolutions. The Medium preset at 4K has the only recorded minimum FPS of 177, which is still above 144 Hz, indicating that even the lowest dips remain smooth. Across all resolutions, the Ultra preset consistently delivers lower frame rates than High, but the difference is more pronounced at 4K (22 FPS difference) than at 1080p (14 FPS difference), reinforcing the GPU-bound nature of higher resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Dave The Diver, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i5-12400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D achieves a combo rank of 69 out of 2867 total combinations. This places the system in the top 2.4% of all tested configurations, which is an exceptional result. The high rank is primarily driven by the GPU’s top-tier performance, as the CPU, while competent, is not a flagship part. The i5-12400’s 72nd percentile ranking among CPUs is respectable but not outstanding, whereas the RTX 5090 D’s 92nd percentile ranking among GPUs is near the top of the charts.

The combination’s rank reflects that the GPU is pulling most of the weight in terms of overall performance. The data shows that the system is capable of delivering frame rates that are far higher than what most competitors with lower-tier GPUs would achieve. The 32 GB of VRAM and the GPU’s high core count ensure that no matter the resolution or settings, the system remains fluid. The CPU’s 6 cores and 12 threads are sufficient to keep up with the GPU’s output, as evidenced by the fact that frame rates at 1080p, where the CPU is more likely to be a bottleneck, still exceed 300 FPS. This rank suggests that the pairing is well balanced for this game, with neither component severely limiting the other, and the system being far more powerful than necessary for the game’s requirements.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this pairing depend on the user’s display and preference for visual fidelity versus frame rate. For users with a 60 Hz or 144 Hz monitor, the Medium preset at 4K offers an average of 208 FPS with a minimum of 177 FPS, which is more than sufficient for a smooth experience and provides a good balance between visual quality and performance. The High preset at 4K delivers 186 FPS, which is still far above any refresh rate threshold, but the visual difference between Medium and High may be minimal in a 2D game, making Medium a more efficient choice.

At 1440p, the Medium preset achieves 310 FPS with a minimum of 264 FPS, and the Ultra preset offers 245 FPS. Given that the game is not graphically intense, the Ultra preset at 1440p is a reasonable choice for users who want the highest visual quality, as the 245 FPS average is still exceptionally high. At 1080p, the Ultra preset provides 316 FPS, which is more than enough for any monitor, and the Low preset at 366 FPS offers no practical benefit unless the user has a 360 Hz display and wants to maximize frame rate.

For most users, the Medium preset at 4K or the Ultra preset at 1440p provides the best experience, as these configurations offer a high level of visual fidelity while maintaining frame rates that are far beyond what is needed for smooth gameplay. The data indicates that there is no configuration where the system struggles to maintain playable frame rates, so the recommendation is to prioritize visual quality by using the Ultra preset at 1440p or the High preset at 4K, as these balance the GPU’s capabilities with the game’s modest graphical demands. The Low preset is only recommended for users with extremely high refresh rate displays who want to push frame rates to the absolute maximum, but the gains over Medium are marginal in terms of actual perceptible smoothness.