Dave The Diver

# How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-13400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 achieves a combo rank of 486 out of 1,626 tested combinations in Dave The Diver. This places the setup comfortably in the top 30% of all tested hardware pairings for this title, reflecting a strong balance between CPU and GPU capabilities. The rank indicates that while this is not an elite top-tier combination, it sits well above the median performer, delivering frame rates that will satisfy most players.

The 13400F itself holds an 82nd percentile ranking among all CPUs in the benchmark database, with an average benchmark score of 25,236. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-13620H (scoring 25,201, a 0.1% difference) and the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D (scoring 25,365, a -0.5% delta). This clustering shows the 13400F is positioned in a highly competitive performance band where tiny margins separate competitors.

For the GPU, the RTX 3080 sits in the 80th percentile among all graphics cards, with an average benchmark score of 35,787. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon Pro Duo (35,860, -0.2% delta) and the AMD Radeon 880M (35,646, 0.4% delta). The 0.9% gap to the AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE (36,101) shows the 3080 remains a formidable performer despite its end-of-life production status.

# GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 brings 10 GB of GDDR6X memory across a 320-bit bus, yielding 760.3 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is well-suited to Dave The Diver's art style, which features dense underwater environments with numerous small objects, particle effects, and dynamic lighting. The 10 GB capacity provides sufficient headroom for the game's texture loads, even at higher resolutions.

Clock speeds see the GPU operate at a 1440 MHz base and 1710 MHz boost, with memory running at 1188 MHz (19 Gbps effective). The 8nm Samsung process node houses 28,300 million transistors on a 628 mm² die, with 8,704 shading units, 272 TMUs, and 96 ROPs. The 68 RT cores and 272 tensor cores are present but largely secondary in this title, as Dave The Diver does not rely heavily on ray tracing effects.

The data shows the GPU's compute capabilities are substantial, with fp32 performance of 29.77 TFLOPS and fp16 delivering the same 1:1 ratio. Pixel rate stands at 164.2 GPixel/s and texture rate at 465.1 GTexel/s. In practice, these specifications translate to frame rates that remain playable even at 4K, which is notable for a game with this visual style. The card's DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) support ensures full compatibility with modern rendering paths.

# Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals how the balance between CPU and GPU shifts across resolutions. At 1080p, the combo produces extremely high frame rates, with Low settings hitting 309.1 FPS and Ultra reaching 202.7 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 106.4 FPS, indicating the GPU is not the primary limiting factor at lower settings.

Moving to 1440p, frame rates remain elevated: Low delivers 228.2 FPS, Medium 192.5 FPS, High 171.1 FPS, and Ultra 150.5 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p at Ultra settings is 52.2 FPS (from 202.7 to 150.5), showing the GPU taking on more work as pixel count increases.

At 4K, the picture changes significantly. Ultra settings produce 102.4 FPS, High 114.7 FPS, Medium 130.9 FPS, and Low 154 FPS. The scaling from 1440p to 4K at Ultra is a 48.1 FPS reduction (150.5 to 102.4), which represents a 32% performance cost. This pattern indicates the RTX 3080 becomes the dominant limiting factor at 4K, while at 1080p the CPU's 10 cores and 16 threads have more influence on the upper frame rate ceiling.

The resolution scaling behavior shows diminishing returns when reducing settings at higher resolutions. At 1080p, Low vs Ultra is a 106.4 FPS gap, but at 4K that same comparison narrows to 51.6 FPS (154 vs 102.4). This suggests the GPU's pixel throughput becomes the bottleneck earlier in the settings curve as resolution climbs.

# Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates. Low settings produce 309.1 FPS, which is the single highest measured result across all configurations. Medium settings yield 258.7 FPS, High settings 226.8 FPS, and Ultra settings 202.7 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is substantial, but even the lowest figure at this resolution exceeds what most displays can refresh.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance remains strong. Low settings hit 228.2 FPS, Medium 192.5 FPS, High 171.1 FPS, and Ultra 150.5 FPS. The step from Medium to High costs 21.4 FPS, while the step from High to Ultra costs 20.6 FPS. These consistent increments suggest balanced scaling across settings levels.

At 3840x2160, the 4K results show the RTX 3080 working harder. Low settings deliver 154 FPS, Medium 130.9 FPS, High 114.7 FPS, and Ultra 102.4 FPS. The transition from Low to Medium costs 23.1 FPS, Medium to High costs 16.2 FPS, and High to Ultra costs 12.3 FPS. The narrowing gaps at higher settings indicate the GPU is approaching its throughput ceiling, with less absolute headroom between quality presets as pixel count rises.

Across all resolutions, the relationship between settings tiers remains predictable. The largest performance difference always appears between Low and Ultra, with Medium and High falling between in roughly equal increments. For players targeting 60 FPS as a baseline, every measured configuration at every resolution and settings combination exceeds this threshold by a comfortable margin. The lowest recorded average is 102.4 FPS at 4K Ultra, still well above common refresh rate targets.

# CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-13400F provides 10 cores and 16 threads, built on the Raptor Lake architecture with a 10nm process node. Base clock runs at 2.50 GHz with a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. The 20 MB shared L3 cache, alongside 1.25 MB L2 per core and 80 KB L1 per core, offers substantial fast memory for game data. This cache configuration is particularly relevant for Dave The Diver, which streams many small assets during exploration.

Benchmark data shows the CPU's multithreaded capabilities are robust. Cinebench R23 multicore scores 21,279, while single-core reaches 3,004. Geekbench multicore hits 10,971 with single-core at 2,301. The 3DMark results show scaling from 1,880 (2 threads) to 7,307 (max threads), indicating good utilization of additional cores. PassMark multithread score of 25,032 and single-thread score of 3,634 further confirm balanced performance.

In Dave The Diver, the CPU's role is most evident at 1080p where frame rates approach 300 FPS. At these levels, the 16 threads process game logic, entity updates, and physics calculations. The 13400F's boost clock of 4.60 GHz provides strong single-thread performance for the primary simulation thread, while the additional cores handle background tasks and streaming. The 65W TDP suggests efficient power delivery, though the socket 1700 platform supports the full range of 13th Gen features.

Comparing to nearest rivals, the 13400F sits within 0.5% of the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D and 0.1% of the Intel Core i7-13620H in average benchmark score. This tight grouping means CPU-bound scenarios in Dave The Diver will perform similarly across these options. The 82nd percentile ranking confirms the 13400F is positioned to avoid bottlenecking the RTX 3080 in most situations, particularly at higher resolutions where GPU load dominates.

# FAQ

Q: What is the best settings preset for 4K gaming with this combo?

A: At 3840x2160, Ultra settings produce 102.4 FPS, High 114.7 FPS, Medium 130.9 FPS, and Low 154 FPS. All exceed 100 FPS, so players prioritizing visual quality can use Ultra, while those wanting higher frame rates can step down to Medium for a 28.5 FPS improvement.

Q: How does this CPU compare to its closest rivals?

A: The Intel Core i5-13400F has an average benchmark score of 25,236. It sits 0.1% above the Intel Core i7-13620H (25,201) and 0.5% above the AMD EPYC 9474F (25,103). The AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D (25,365) is 0.5% faster, placing the 13400F in a tightly contested performance band.

Q: Is the RTX 3080 still competitive among modern GPUs?

A: The RTX 3080 holds an 80th percentile ranking with an average score of 35,787. It trails the AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE (36,101) by 0.9% and leads the AMD Radeon 880M (35,646) by 0.4%. Its production status is end-of-life, yet benchmark results show it remains competitive.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1440p with High settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with High settings, the combo delivers 171.1 FPS. This is 55.7 FPS higher than the 4K High result (114.7 FPS), showing the resolution scaling impact. Ultra at 1440p yields 150.5 FPS, still well above typical high-refresh displays.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, frame rates reach 309.1 FPS on Low settings and 202.7 FPS on Ultra. The 106.4 FPS gap between these presets suggests the GPU is handling the graphics load while the CPU maintains high throughput. However, the 3DMark scores (single-thread 960, max threads 7,307) indicate the 13400F has capacity to drive these frame rates.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K?

A: At Ultra settings, the drop from 1920x1080 (202.7 FPS) to 3840x2160 (102.4 FPS) is 100.3 FPS, roughly half the frame rate. At Low settings, the drop is 155.1 FPS (309.1 to 154). The larger absolute drop at Low settings reflects the GPU becoming the limiting factor as pixel count quadruples.