Dave The Diver

Dave The Diver, an adventure title released on June 27, 2023, presents an interesting performance profile for the Intel Core i5-12600KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060. The measured data shows this combination delivers exceptionally high frame rates across all tested resolutions and settings, placing it firmly in the upper echelon of tested configurations. The combo ranks 927th out of 1626 total combinations tested for this game, placing it in the 57th percentile, which indicates that while it is above average, it is not a top-tier outlier. The benchmark results reveal a system that is heavily GPU-bound at 4K, but shifts toward CPU limitations at lower resolutions, particularly at 1080p where the frame rates approach the practical limits of the processor's single-thread performance.

Resolution Scaling

The scaling pattern from 1080p to 4K clearly demonstrates where the performance bottleneck lies within this pairing. At 1080p with Ultra settings, the combination produces an average of 151.9 FPS. Moving to 1440p, that figure drops to 113 FPS, a 25.6% reduction. Stepping up to 4K, the average falls further to 75 FPS, representing an additional 33.6% decrease from the 1440p result. This consistent degradation with increasing resolution is the classic signature of a system that becomes progressively more GPU-bound as pixel count rises.

The data shows a particularly telling pattern when comparing the Low settings across resolutions. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 231.2 FPS, which suggests the CPU is nearing its ceiling for this game's engine. When moving to 1440p Low, the frame rate drops to 176.4 FPS, and at 4K Low it reaches 114.7 FPS. The fact that even at 4K with the lowest settings, the system still produces over 114 FPS indicates that the RTX 4060 is far from being overwhelmed by this title. The RTX 4060's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus with 272.0 GB/s of bandwidth appears sufficient for Dave The Diver's visual demands, even at 4K resolution.

The scaling efficiency between 1080p and 1440p is particularly strong, with the High preset dropping from 173.4 FPS to 128.3 FPS, a 26% reduction that closely tracks the 1.78x increase in pixel count. However, the jump from 1440p to 4K shows a steeper decline for the Ultra preset, going from 113 FPS to 75 FPS, a 33.6% drop, which suggests that the 4K Ultra settings are starting to stress the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth. The RTX 4060's pixel rate of 118.1 GPixel/s and texture rate of 236.2 GTexel/s are being pushed harder at this resolution, while the CPU's 10 cores and 16 threads, running at a boost clock of 4.90 GHz, have more headroom to spare.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate this combo achieves in Dave The Diver?

A: The highest measured average is 231.2 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: Does this system maintain playable frame rates at 4K Ultra settings?

A: Yes, the 4K Ultra preset produces an average of 75 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold generally considered standard for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the RTX 4060 compare to its closest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 4060 scores 23181 in the average benchmark, placing it 0.6% behind the AMD Radeon RX 6600M and 0.7% behind the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti, while leading the Intel Arc B580 by 0.7%.

Q: Is the CPU a limiting factor at 1080p in this game?

A: The data suggests so. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 231.2 FPS, and the CPU's single-thread benchmark score of 1016 in 3DMark indicates it is approaching its performance ceiling in this scenario.

Q: What is the performance difference between 1440p High and 4K High?

A: Moving from 2560x1440 High (128.3 FPS) to 3840x2160 High (89.4 FPS) results in a 30.3% reduction in average frame rate.

Q: How does this CPU rank against all other processors tested?

A: The Intel Core i5-12600KF sits in the 84th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 27827, placing it virtually tied with the Intel Core i9-10900K.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-12600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 achieves a rank of 927 out of 1626 tested combos in Dave The Diver, placing it in the 57th percentile of all systems evaluated. This is a respectable position, indicating that the pairing performs better than the majority of configurations tested, but it is not among the elite performers. The ranking reflects a system that delivers consistently high frame rates, but the data suggests that other combinations with more powerful GPUs or CPUs have achieved higher average scores.

The CPU itself, when considered independently, holds an 84th percentile ranking among all processors, with an average benchmark score of 27827. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i9-10900K, scores 27829, representing a 0% delta, making them statistically indistinguishable in performance. The i5-12600KF also sits just 0.1% behind the i5-12600K and 0.2% behind the Intel Core Ultra 5 125H, while leading the Intel Core i7-13700H by 0.4%. This clustering of scores within a 0.6% band indicates that the CPU's performance is firmly established in a specific performance tier.

For the GPU, the RTX 4060 holds a 66th percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 23181. Its closest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6600M, scores 23321, a 0.6% difference. The GTX 780 Ti scores 23338, a 0.7% gap, while the Intel Arc B580 trails by 0.7% and the AMD Radeon 760M by 0.8%. These margins are so narrow that they fall within normal run-to-run variance, meaning the RTX 4060 effectively performs on par with these rivals in synthetic workloads.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rate data provides a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 3840x2160, the system delivers 89.4 FPS on High, 114.7 FPS on Low, 97.7 FPS on Medium, and 75 FPS on Ultra. The spread between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 39.7 FPS, demonstrating that the visual fidelity settings have a significant impact on performance when the GPU is under heavy load.

At 2560x1440, the results scale up accordingly: High produces 128.3 FPS, Low reaches 176.4 FPS, Medium achieves 145.6 FPS, and Ultra hits 113 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra here is 63.4 FPS, showing that the GPU has more headroom to absorb the performance cost of higher settings at this resolution. The 1440p results represent a sweet spot for this combination, offering high refresh rate potential even on Ultra settings.

At 1920x1080, the system truly shines, with High delivering 173.4 FPS, Low achieving 231.2 FPS, Medium producing 196.5 FPS, and Ultra maintaining 151.9 FPS. The 1080p results demonstrate that this pairing is capable of driving high refresh rate monitors without breaking a sweat. The fact that even the most demanding preset at 1080p stays above 150 FPS suggests that the game's engine is well-optimized and the hardware is more than adequate for this title.

Settings Recommendations

For players targeting 4K resolution, the Ultra preset at 75 FPS provides a fully playable experience, but the High preset at 89.4 FPS offers a 19.2% improvement in frame rate while likely presenting a visually similar experience. The Medium preset at 97.7 FPS is another viable option for those who prioritize smoothness over maximum visual fidelity. Given that the jump from Medium to High costs only 8.3 FPS, the High preset appears to be the optimal balance of visual quality and performance at this resolution.

At 1440p, the Ultra preset at 113 FPS is the clear recommendation for players with high refresh rate displays, as it clears the 100 FPS threshold comfortably. The High preset at 128.3 FPS offers an additional 15.3 FPS for those who prefer extra headroom, but the visual differences between High and Ultra in this title are likely minimal. For competitive play or maximum smoothness, the Low preset at 176.4 FPS is available, though it comes at the cost of visual detail.

For 1080p gaming, the Ultra preset at 151.9 FPS is the recommended choice, as it provides a fluid experience on 144Hz displays while maintaining the highest visual quality. The Medium preset at 196.5 FPS and High at 173.4 FPS are also excellent options for those with 240Hz monitors, with Low at 231.2 FPS being the choice for esports-style play where every frame matters. The data indicates that at 1080p, players can afford to max out settings without sacrificing the high frame rates that this hardware combination is clearly capable of delivering.