Dave The Diver

# Dave The Diver with Intel Core i5-12400F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090

This combination pairs a mid-range 12th-generation Intel CPU with NVIDIA's flagship Blackwell GPU, producing frame rates that range from very fast to absurdly fast depending on the resolution and settings. The measured data reveals a system where the GPU is rarely the bottleneck at 1080p, but the balance shifts meaningfully as resolution climbs to 4K. The RTX 5090's raw compute is so high that this game's modest visual demands get flattened into a near-constant high-FPS experience, yet the scaling patterns between settings tiers tell a more nuanced story about where the performance ceiling actually sits.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep but not uniform across settings, which reveals how the workload shifts between CPU and GPU as pixel count rises. At Low settings, the average frame rate goes from 369 FPS at 1920x1080 down to 233 FPS at 3840x2160, a reduction of 136 FPS or roughly 37% fewer frames. At Ultra settings, the same resolution change drops the average from 305 FPS to 154 FPS, a 151 FPS reduction or about 49% fewer frames. This larger percentage drop at Ultra indicates that the higher preset is more GPU-bound, as the additional shading and texture work scales with pixel count.

Looking at the Medium preset, which is the only tier with complete min/max data, the scaling pattern becomes clearer. At 1080p Medium, the average is 346 FPS with a minimum of 294 FPS and maximum of 398 FPS. Moving to 1440p Medium, the average drops to 291 FPS with a range of 247 to 335 FPS. At 4K Medium, the average falls to 195 FPS with a range of 166 to 224 FPS. The minimum frame rates scale proportionally with the averages, suggesting consistent frame pacing rather than occasional stutters. The gap between 1080p and 1440p Medium is 55 FPS (about 16%), while the gap between 1440p and 4K Medium is 96 FPS (about 33%), showing that the per-pixel cost accelerates as resolution increases.

This scaling behavior indicates that at 1080p, the CPU is playing a meaningful role in limiting performance. The 369 FPS Low result at 1080p is close to what a 6-core/12-thread processor can push through the game's simulation and draw-call overhead, even with a GPU as powerful as the RTX 5090. At 4K, the GPU becomes the primary constraint, as evidenced by the wider spread between Low and Ultra settings (233 FPS vs 154 FPS, a 79 FPS gap) compared to the 1080p spread (369 FPS vs 305 FPS, a 64 FPS gap). The data suggests that players targeting 4K will see more benefit from tweaking individual settings, while 1080p players are already near the CPU's practical limit.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400F brings 6 cores and 12 threads to this pairing, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. Its Alder Lake architecture on the 10 nm process node delivers a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 12,380 and a single-core score of 1,680, which places it in the 73rd percentile among all CPUs tested. The 3DMark results show a clear scaling pattern: 1,699 with 2 threads, 3,067 with 4 threads, 4,779 with 8 threads, and 5,895 with 16 threads. This near-linear scaling up to 8 threads suggests the CPU handles multi-threaded workloads efficiently, though the gains flatten considerably beyond that point.

In Dave The Diver, the 1080p Low result of 369 FPS represents a practical ceiling for this CPU. The 3DMark single-thread score of 909 and PassMark single-thread score of 3,481 indicate solid per-core performance, but the game's engine likely doesn't fully utilize all 12 threads. The 1080p Ultra result of 305 FPS shows that even with heavier GPU load, the CPU can maintain high frame rates, but the 64 FPS gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is smaller than the 79 FPS gap at 4K. This suggests that at 1080p, the CPU is contributing to the performance ceiling, while at 4K, the GPU's workload dominates.

The CPU's L3 cache of 18 MB shared across all cores and 1.25 MB L2 per core provides adequate bandwidth for game data, and the Geekbench multi-core score of 9,472 confirms strong overall throughput. However, the PassMark physics score of 1,202 and find prime numbers score of 72 indicate that heavily threaded physics calculations are not this chip's strongest suit. For a game like Dave The Diver, which is primarily an adventure title rather than a physics-heavy simulation, this is unlikely to be a limiting factor. The data implies that the i5-12400F is sufficient to keep the RTX 5090 well-fed at 1440p and 4K, but at 1080p, the CPU becomes the more significant constraint.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo maintain 60 FPS at 4K Ultra settings?

A: Yes, the measured average at 3840x2160 Ultra is 154 FPS, which is more than double the 60 FPS target. Even the lowest recorded average among all 4K presets is 154 FPS at Ultra, so there is substantial headroom.

Q: How does the i5-12400F compare to its nearest rivals in CPU benchmarks?

A: The i5-12400F has an average benchmark score of 19,039, which is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS at 19,047 (0% difference) and the Intel Core 3 201E at 19,056 (-0.1% difference). It is slightly ahead of the Intel Core i5-1335U (18,982, +0.3%) and AMD EPYC 7773X (18,979, +0.3%).

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 335 FPS while Ultra averages 229 FPS, a difference of 106 FPS or roughly 32% fewer frames at Ultra. Medium sits between them at 291 FPS.

Q: Does the RTX 5090's 32 GB VRAM affect performance in this game?

A: The measured data does not indicate any VRAM-related limitations, as even the highest settings at 4K produce 154 FPS. The 32 GB GDDR7 memory with 1.79 TB/s bandwidth is far beyond what this game requires, and no settings tier shows a performance anomaly that would suggest memory capacity constraints.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested combinations for this game?

A: The combo ranks 129th out of 3,710 tested combinations, placing it in the top 3.5% of all tested systems. This high ranking reflects the RTX 5090's dominance in the GPU position.

Q: Is there a meaningful difference between 1080p and 1440p High settings?

A: Yes, the average FPS drops from 333 at 1920x1080 to 260 at 2560x1440, a 73 FPS reduction or about 22% fewer frames. Both are well above playable thresholds, but the difference is noticeable in the data.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-12400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 achieves a rank of 129 out of 3,710 tested combos in Dave The Diver, placing it in the top 3.5% of all systems tested. This ranking is impressive given that the CPU is a mid-range 12th-generation part, which suggests that the game is heavily GPU-bound at most settings and resolutions. The RTX 5090's percentile of 92 among all GPUs and average benchmark score of 79,842 clearly drive this high placement, while the CPU's 73rd percentile ranking is sufficient to avoid holding the system back in most scenarios.

The ranking implies that for this specific game, the i5-12400F does not meaningfully bottleneck the RTX 5090 except possibly at 1080p Low settings, where the 369 FPS result approaches what the CPU can physically push. The gap between the combo's rank and what a top-tier CPU might achieve is likely small, as the game's engine does not appear to demand extreme single-thread performance beyond what the i5-12400F provides. Players with this combo can expect performance in the top few percent of all systems, with the only theoretical improvements coming from pairing the RTX 5090 with a higher-end CPU for 1080p esports-style play.

The rank also suggests that the RTX 5090 is overkill for this game in absolute terms, as even the 129th-ranked combo produces average FPS figures well above any display refresh rate commonly in use. The data shows that the GPU's massive compute resources are underutilized at lower resolutions, but the ranking still reflects the raw capability of the graphics card. For players using high-refresh-rate 1440p or 4K displays, this combo delivers the headroom needed to maintain maximum frame rates without compromise.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance across all resolutions. At 1080p Medium, the average is 346 FPS with a minimum of 294 FPS, which is only 23 FPS lower than Low but provides better visuals. At 1440p Medium, the average of 291 FPS with a minimum of 247 FPS remains well above any practical refresh rate target. Even at 4K Medium, the 195 FPS average with a 166 FPS minimum comfortably exceeds 144 Hz displays, making this the recommended preset for most users.

For players with 4K displays, the High preset at 174 FPS average is also an excellent choice, as it provides better visual fidelity than Medium while still maintaining frame rates far above typical display capabilities. The Ultra preset at 4K drops to 154 FPS average, which is still very high but represents a 20 FPS sacrifice compared to High. Given that the difference between High and Ultra at 4K is only 20 FPS (about 11%), players prioritizing maximum visuals can safely use Ultra without worrying about playability, as 154 FPS is still exceptionally smooth.

At 1080p and 1440p, the Low preset offers marginal gains over Medium (369 vs 346 FPS at 1080p, 335 vs 291 FPS at 1440p) that are unlikely to be perceptible on most displays. The Ultra preset at these resolutions (305 FPS at 1080p, 229 FPS at 1440p) still delivers outstanding performance. The data suggests that Medium is the sweet spot for this game, as it provides the best combination of visual quality and frame rate stability, evidenced by the complete min/max data showing consistent performance. Players with 240 Hz or higher refresh rate monitors at 1080p might prefer Low to maximize FPS, but the visual trade-off is substantial for a relatively small FPS gain.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers the highest average at 369 FPS, followed by Medium at 346 FPS with a minimum of 294 FPS and maximum of 398 FPS, High at 333 FPS, and Ultra at 305 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 64 FPS, with each step up in settings costing roughly 20 FPS on average. The Medium preset's minimum of 294 FPS indicates that even the worst-case frame rate is above 290 FPS, suggesting consistent performance without significant drops.

Moving to 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 335 FPS, Medium averages 291 FPS with a range of 247 to 335 FPS, High averages 260 FPS, and Ultra averages 229 FPS. The total spread is 106 FPS, showing that the settings tier has a larger impact at 1440p than at 1080p. The Medium minimum of 247 FPS is still above 240 Hz refresh rates, making this an excellent resolution for high-refresh-rate gaming. The High preset at 260 FPS and Ultra at 229 FPS both remain well above typical 144 Hz displays.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 233 FPS, Medium averages 195 FPS with a range of 166 to 224 FPS, High averages 174 FPS, and Ultra averages 154 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 79 FPS, which is narrower than at 1440p but wider than at 1080p. The Medium preset's minimum of 166 FPS is the lowest recorded in any configuration, yet it still exceeds 144 Hz refresh rates. The High preset at 174 FPS and Ultra at 154 FPS demonstrate that even the most demanding settings at 4K produce frame rates that would be considered excellent for most games, highlighting both the GPU's capability and the game's relatively light rendering requirements.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is the dominant component in this pairing, with its 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus delivering 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's 21,760 shading units and 176 ROPs, combined with a boost clock of 2407 MHz, produce a pixel rate of 423.6 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 1,636.8 GTexel/s. The FP32 compute of 104.8 TFLOPS places this GPU in the 92nd percentile among all tested GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 79,842. Its nearest rivals in the benchmark database include the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB (79,605, +0.3% for the 5090) and the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (78,940, +1.1% for the 5090), showing that the 5090 sits at the very top of the performance hierarchy.

In Dave The Diver, the GPU's role becomes more pronounced as resolution increases. At 1080p, the GPU is mostly idle relative to its capabilities, as evidenced by the small FPS gap between Low and Ultra (64 FPS). At 4K, the GPU's workload increases, and the settings tier has a larger impact (79 FPS gap between Low and Ultra). The RTX 5090's memory bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s is likely sufficient to feed its massive compute units even at 4K Ultra, as the 154 FPS result shows no signs of memory bandwidth limitations. The 32 GB VRAM capacity is far more than this game requires, and the data shows no performance degradation that would indicate VRAM pressure at any settings combination.

The GPU's Blackwell 2.0 architecture on TSMC's 5 nm process node includes 170 RT cores and 680 tensor cores, though the game's adventure genre likely uses these features sparingly. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 18,355 and Geekbench Vulkan score of 376,728 confirm the GPU's raw compute strength, which translates directly to the high frame rates observed. The data indicates that the RTX 5090 is the primary reason this combo ranks 129th out of 3,710, as the CPU's contribution becomes secondary once resolution and settings increase the GPU load beyond the CPU's ability to keep up.