Dave The Diver

Dave The Diver is an adventure title that proves surprisingly demanding on the Intel Core i5-12600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 pairing, with the measured data showing a clear hierarchy across resolutions and presets. At 4K, the system manages a playable 65.5 FPS on High settings, but the gap between Low and Ultra presets reveals where the bottleneck sits. The RTX 2060, a Turing-generation part with 6 GB of GDDR6, is the primary constraint at higher resolutions, while the i5-12600KF’s 10-core, 16-thread design keeps frame rates high at 1080p. This combination ranks 1344th out of 1626 tested combos in this game, placing it in the lower half of the field, yet the numbers show it is capable of smooth gameplay with the right settings.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a steep drop as resolution climbs, which is typical for a game that leans heavily on the GPU. At 1080p with Ultra settings, the system produces 114.6 FPS, but moving to 1440p drops that to 88.5 FPS, and 4K falls further to 58.1 FPS. That is a 49.3% reduction from 1080p to 4K at Ultra, indicating that pixel throughput is the limiting factor. The RTX 2060’s 192-bit memory bus and 336.0 GB/s bandwidth are being pushed hard at higher resolutions, and the 6 GB VRAM capacity becomes a constraint as the render target expands.

The scaling pattern changes with the Low preset. At 1080p Low, the system hits 177.3 FPS, which is 54.8% higher than the Ultra result at the same resolution. At 1440p Low, the frame rate is 134.5 FPS, and at 4K Low it is 88.9 FPS. The relative drop from 1080p to 4K at Low is 49.8%, nearly identical to the Ultra preset’s scaling. This suggests that even when the graphics load is reduced, the GPU remains the dominant factor, as the CPU has ample headroom with its 3.70 GHz base and 4.90 GHz boost clocks.

Looking at the middle ground, Medium settings at 1080p deliver 147.9 FPS, while High settings at the same resolution produce 132.5 FPS. The difference between Medium and High is 11.6%, which is smaller than the gap between Low and Medium at 16.6%. This indicates that the game’s preset scaling is not linear, with diminishing returns as you move up the quality ladder. At 4K, the High preset achieves 65.5 FPS, which is the sweet spot for playability, while Ultra drops to 58.1 FPS, just below the 60 FPS threshold that most users target.

The data shows that the RTX 2060 is the limiting component at 1440p and above, as the FPS drop from 1080p to 1440p is 33.2% at High settings, and the further drop to 4K is 34.3%. These are significant reductions that point to the GPU’s pixel fill rate and memory bandwidth being saturated. The CPU, with its 84th percentile ranking among all processors, is not the primary constraint at these resolutions.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is built on the TU106 chip using a 12 nm process, with 1,920 shading units and 120 texture mapping units. Its boost clock of 1680 MHz allows it to reach a texture rate of 201.6 GTexel/s and a pixel rate of 80.64 GPixel/s, which are the raw throughput numbers that dictate how fast it can fill frames. The 6 GB of GDDR6 memory runs at 14 Gbps effective, providing 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth across a 192-bit bus. These specifications place the card at the 58th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 16,074.

In Dave The Diver, the GPU’s performance is directly tied to the preset chosen. At 4K Ultra, the card delivers 58.1 FPS, which is 11.3% below the 4K High result of 65.5 FPS. The gap between Medium and High at 4K is even larger, with Medium hitting 75 FPS, a 14.5% improvement over High. This suggests that the RTX 2060 has enough compute power for the game’s visual effects, but the memory bandwidth becomes a limiting factor when texture quality and shadow detail increase.

Comparing to its nearest rivals, the RTX 2060 sits close to the AMD Radeon RX 7600S, which has an average score of 15,996, a delta of 0.5% below the RTX 2060’s 16,074. The AMD Radeon Pro 5700 and Pro 5600M both score 16,351, which is 1.7% higher, while the Radeon Pro W5500 trails by 1.8%. These small deltas indicate that the RTX 2060 is positioned in a competitive mid-range tier, but its 6 GB VRAM is a potential weakness for modern games at high resolutions.

The measured FPS at 1080p Ultra of 114.6 FPS shows that the GPU is not fully utilized at lower resolutions, as the CPU can feed it enough data. However, at 4K Ultra, the 58.1 FPS result is close to the 60 FPS target, and the 88.9 FPS at 4K Low demonstrates that lowering settings can free up headroom. The data shows that the RTX 2060’s 12 nm process and 160 W TDP are adequate for this game, but users should expect to adjust settings for 4K play.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12600KF is a 10-core, 16-thread processor from the Alder Lake architecture, running on the Intel Socket 1700 platform. Its base clock of 3.70 GHz boosts to 4.90 GHz, and it has a TDP of 125 W. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and 20 MB of shared L3 cache, which helps feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic. The processor’s benchmark scores are strong, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 23,444 and a single-core score of 3,309, placing it at the 84th percentile of all CPUs.

In Dave The Diver, the CPU’s role becomes evident when examining the FPS at 1080p, where the GPU is less stressed. The 1080p Low preset hits 177.3 FPS, which is 54.8% higher than the 4K Low result of 88.9 FPS. This indicates that at 1080p, the CPU can push frame rates well above what the GPU can render at higher resolutions. The single-thread performance, as measured by the 3DMark single-thread score of 1,016, is sufficient for the game’s physics and AI, while the multithreaded score of 7,956 for 16 threads shows headroom for background tasks.

The nearest rivals for the i5-12600KF include the Intel Core i9-10900K with an average score of 27,829, which is essentially identical to the i5-12600KF’s 27,827, a 0% delta. The i5-12600K is 0.1% behind, and the Core Ultra 5 125H is 0.2% behind, while the i7-13700H is 0.4% ahead. These tiny differences mean that the i5-12600KF is well-matched against its competitors, and it does not create a bottleneck in this game.

The CPU’s 16 threads are not fully utilized by Dave The Diver, as the game is likely single-threaded in its main loop. However, the high boost clock of 4.90 GHz ensures that single-core performance is strong, as shown by the Geekbench single-core score of 2,529. The measured FPS at 1080p Ultra of 114.6 FPS is above the 60 FPS target, and the CPU’s 20 MB of L3 cache helps reduce memory latency. The data shows that the i5-12600KF is not the limiting factor in this configuration, as the GPU’s performance at higher resolutions is the primary constraint.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Dave The Diver with this hardware?

A: The data shows that 1080p delivers the highest frame rates, with 132.5 FPS on High settings and 114.6 FPS on Ultra. At 1440p, the High preset still achieves 99.7 FPS, which is playable, while 4K High dips to 65.5 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 compare to its closest rivals?

A: The RTX 2060 has an average benchmark score of 16,074, which is 0.5% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 7600S at 15,996. The AMD Radeon Pro 5700 and Pro 5600M are 1.7% faster, while the Radeon Pro W5500 is 1.8% slower.

Q: Is the i5-12600KF a bottleneck for the RTX 2060 in this game?

A: No, the CPU is not the limiting factor. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 177.3 FPS, showing the CPU can handle high frame rates. The GPU becomes the constraint at higher resolutions, as seen in the 4K Ultra result of 58.1 FPS.

Q: What is the difference between Medium and High presets at 1440p?

A: At 1440p, the Medium preset averages 114.6 FPS, while High averages 99.7 FPS, a difference of 14.9 FPS or 13.0%. The visual quality improvement from Medium to High may be worth the frame rate cost for some users.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Dave The Diver?

A: Yes, but with limitations. The High preset at 4K delivers 65.5 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS target, while Ultra drops to 58.1 FPS. The Low preset at 4K hits 88.9 FPS, so adjusting settings is necessary for smooth 4K play.

Q: What is the CPU’s benchmark percentile ranking?

A: The i5-12600KF is at the 84th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 27,827. Its Cinebench R23 multicore score is 23,444, and its single-core score is 3,309.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data clearly shows that the High preset is the best balance of visual quality and frame rate for this hardware. At 1080p, High settings deliver 132.5 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS target and only 17.9% lower than Low settings at 177.3 FPS. The jump from High to Ultra costs 17.9 FPS at 1080p, reducing the frame rate to 114.6 FPS, which is still playable but not worth the extra load on the GPU.

For 1440p, the High preset is also recommended, as it achieves 99.7 FPS, which is smooth for most displays. The Medium preset at 114.6 FPS offers a 14.9 FPS improvement, but the visual quality difference is noticeable, and High provides a better experience for the frame rate cost. The Ultra preset at 88.5 FPS is still above 60 FPS, but the data shows diminishing returns, as the difference between High and Ultra is only 11.2 FPS.

At 4K, the High preset is the only sensible choice for a consistent 60+ FPS experience, with 65.5 FPS average. The Medium preset at 75 FPS is also viable, but the Low preset at 88.9 FPS sacrifices too much visual fidelity for a frame rate gain that is not necessary. The Ultra preset at 58.1 FPS dips below the 60 FPS threshold, which can cause stuttering on some displays. Users targeting 4K should stick to High or Medium, while those at 1080p or 1440p can comfortably use High for the best balance.