Dave The Diver

Dave The Diver is an adventure title that proves surprisingly demanding at higher settings, and the combination of the Intel Core i5-14400F with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 produces a wide spread of frame rates depending on how the user configures the graphical options. The data shows a system that is more than capable of delivering smooth gameplay at standard resolutions, but the performance curve reveals important nuances about where the bottleneck lies and how the hardware responds to different presets. This analysis walks through the measured FPS data to interpret what these numbers mean for the overall experience, focusing strictly on the benchmark results provided.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear and predictable pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases, but the rate of that drop is not uniform across all settings. At the High preset, the average frame rate falls from 173 FPS at 1920x1080 to 130 FPS at 2560x1440, and then to 87 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 25% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, followed by a 33% reduction from 1440p to 4K. The scaling is steeper at the higher resolution step, which strongly indicates that the GPU is becoming the primary limiting factor as pixel count rises.

Examining the Low preset provides a clearer picture of the CPU's headroom. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the average FPS reaches 231, which drops to 174 FPS at 2560x1440 and 117 FPS at 3840x2160. The percentage drops here are 25% and 33% respectively, which mirrors the High preset pattern almost exactly. This consistency suggests that the game's rendering load scales predictably with resolution, and that the RTX 4060 is the component that dictates the framerate ceiling once the resolution increases beyond 1080p.

The Medium and Ultra presets follow the same trajectory. Medium goes from 194 FPS at 1080p to 146 FPS at 1440p to 98 FPS at 4K, while Ultra drops from 153 FPS to 115 FPS to 77 FPS across the same resolution steps. The Ultra preset at 4K produces the lowest measured average of 77 FPS, which is still playable but shows that the combination is nearing its limits at the highest settings. The data indicates that at 1080p, the CPU has enough headroom to push very high frame rates, but as resolution climbs, the GPU's workload increases proportionally, and the RTX 4060 becomes the definitive constraint.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process node from TSMC, featuring 18,900 million transistors on a 159 mm² die. Its memory configuration consists of 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, delivering 272.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1830 MHz with a boost clock of 2460 MHz, and its memory runs at 2125 MHz, which translates to 17 Gbps effective. These specifications explain the observed performance scaling, as the 128-bit memory bus and 8 GB capacity are modest for 4K workloads, yet the card still manages respectable framerates in this particular title.

The GPU's benchmark scores position it as a mid-range performer. Its passmark_g3d score of 19545 places it in the 61st percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 17639. The nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon HD 7790 with an average score of 17666 (a delta of -0.2%), the AMD Radeon 780M at 17588 (delta 0.3%), and the AMD Radeon Pro 560 at 17551 (delta 0.5%). These close margins show that the RTX 4060 sits in a crowded performance tier, though the measured FPS in Dave The Diver suggests that the game favors this architecture. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2302 indicates a solid DirectX 12 performance baseline, and the Geekbench Vulkan score of 48643 confirms capable compute performance.

The relationship between the GPU's clock speeds and the game's results is evident in the 4K Ultra numbers. At 77 FPS average, the card is clearly working near its thermal and power limits, which is consistent with its 115 W TDP and dual-slot design. The fact that the card maintains playable framerates even at 4K Ultra suggests that Dave The Diver is not an exceptionally heavy title, but the drop from 153 FPS at 1080p Ultra to 77 FPS at 4K Ultra represents a 50% reduction, which aligns with the increased pixel count and the GPU's fixed memory bandwidth.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance on which settings preset offers the best experience for this hardware combination. At 1920x1080, all presets deliver well above 60 FPS, with even the Ultra preset achieving 153 FPS average. The jump from High to Ultra at 1080p costs 20 FPS (from 173 to 153), which is a 12% reduction for the higher visual quality. Given that 153 FPS is still extremely smooth, the Ultra preset at 1080p represents the best choice for users with high-refresh-rate monitors.

At 2560x1440, the picture becomes more nuanced. The High preset delivers 130 FPS, while Ultra drops to 115 FPS. The difference of 15 FPS is less significant than at 1080p, but the absolute numbers remain well above the 60 FPS threshold. The Medium preset at 146 FPS is only 16 FPS faster than High, suggesting that the visual improvements from Medium to High are efficient for this game. The data supports the High preset at 1440p as the optimal balance, as it maintains a comfortable margin above 120 FPS while avoiding the diminishing returns of Ultra.

For 3840x2160, the choices are more constrained. The High preset achieves 87 FPS, which is playable, while Ultra drops to 77 FPS. The Low preset at 117 FPS is the only option that clears 100 FPS, but the visual compromise is significant. The Medium preset at 98 FPS with min FPS of 83 and max of 112 shows the most consistent frame pacing among the 4K options. For users prioritizing smoothness over absolute fidelity, Medium at 4K is the recommended preset, as it stays above 80 FPS even in the minimum measured frame time.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combination?

A: The highest average FPS is 231, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How does the RTX 4060 compare to its nearest rival in benchmark scores?

A: The RTX 4060 has an average benchmark score of 17639, which is 0.2% lower than the AMD Radeon HD 7790, 0.3% higher than the AMD Radeon 780M, and 0.5% higher than the AMD Radeon Pro 560.

Q: What is the lowest average FPS recorded in the measured data?

A: The lowest average FPS is 77, which occurs at 3840x2160 resolution with Ultra settings.

Q: Does the Core i5-14400F support overclocking?

A: No, the multiplier is locked, as indicated by the "multiplierUnlocked" field being false.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth of the RTX 4060?

A: The memory bandwidth is 272.0 GB/s, with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14400F is a 10-core, 16-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process node. It has a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and 20 MB of shared L3 cache. The processor supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory with a dual-channel memory bus, and it connects via PCIe Gen 5 with 16 lanes.

The CPU's benchmark results show strong multi-threaded performance. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score is 21645, with a single-core score of 3055. The Geekbench multi-core score is 11268, and the single-core score is 2058. In Passmark tests, the multi-thread score is 25470, with a single-thread score of 3701. The processor's percentile rank is 83, meaning it outperforms 83% of all CPUs, and its average benchmark score is 32279.

The nearest rivals in CPU benchmarks are closely matched. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U has an average score of 32233 (delta 0.1%), the Intel Core i9-11900 scores 32226 (delta 0.2%), the AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS scores 32354 (delta -0.2%), and the Intel Core i7-12800H scores 32121 (delta 0.5%). These minimal deltas indicate that the i5-14400F is squarely in a competitive performance tier, and its 10 cores and 16 threads provide ample capacity for gaming workloads.

In the context of Dave The Diver, the CPU's role is most evident at 1080p with Low settings, where the average FPS reaches 231. This high number suggests that the processor is not limiting the frame rate at lower resolutions, as the GPU is able to render frames quickly enough to leverage the CPU's single-thread performance. The boost clock of 4.70 GHz is likely the key factor here, as the game's engine appears sensitive to high-frequency cores. However, as resolution increases, the GPU becomes the bottleneck, and the CPU's contribution diminishes, which is consistent with the observed FPS drops across all settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured FPS data for this combination provides a detailed picture of performance across all resolution and settings combinations. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers the highest average of 231 FPS, followed by Medium at 194 FPS, High at 173 FPS, and Ultra at 153 FPS. The Medium preset also records a minimum FPS of 165 and a maximum of 223, showing a 58 FPS range that indicates some frame time variability.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset achieves 174 FPS, Medium reaches 146 FPS with a minimum of 124 and maximum of 168, High delivers 130 FPS, and Ultra drops to 115 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 59 FPS, which is proportional to the 1080p spread. The Medium preset's minimum of 124 FPS is notably close to the High preset's average, suggesting that the transition from Medium to High does not introduce significant frame pacing issues.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 117 FPS, Medium averages 98 FPS with a minimum of 83 and maximum of 112, High averages 87 FPS, and Ultra averages 77 FPS. The Medium preset's minimum of 83 FPS is the lowest recorded minimum across all configurations, but it still remains above the 60 FPS threshold. The scaling from 1080p to 4K shows a consistent reduction of 50-55% in average FPS across all settings, which aligns with the four-fold increase in pixel count.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-14400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 achieves a rank of 2003 out of 3710 tested combinations in Dave The Diver. This places it in the 54th percentile of all tested combos, meaning it outperforms just over half of the systems in the database. Given the individual component rankings — the CPU at the 83rd percentile and the GPU at the 61st percentile — the combo rank is slightly lower than what the CPU alone would suggest, indicating that the GPU is the limiting factor in this pairing.

The data shows that this combination is well-suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where it delivers consistently high frame rates across all settings. At 4K, the system remains playable but requires careful settings selection to maintain smooth performance. The rank of 2003 suggests that while this is not a top-tier combination, it is far from the bottom, and its performance in Dave The Diver is more than adequate for most users. The combination's position in the middle of the pack reflects the balance between the strong CPU and the mid-range GPU, which together produce a capable but not exceptional gaming experience.