Dave The Diver

Dave The Diver presents an interesting case for hardware analysis: it is a 2D side-scrolling adventure with a strong focus on exploration and resource management, yet the benchmark data shows it can be surprisingly demanding at high frame rates. The combination of the Intel Core i5-14400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 demonstrates how this pairing scales across resolutions and settings, and the data reveals where the performance ceiling lies.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for Dave The Diver shows a clear and predictable scaling pattern as resolution increases, but the relative drops between settings reveal the nature of the workload. At 1920x1080, the system delivers very high averages: 341 FPS on Low, 285 FPS on Medium, 255 FPS on High, and 225 FPS on Ultra. Moving to 2560x1440, these numbers drop to 256 FPS on Low, 215 FPS on Medium, 192 FPS on High, and 169 FPS on Ultra. At 3840x2160, the figures settle at 172 FPS on Low, 144 FPS on Medium, 128 FPS on High, and 113 FPS on Ultra.

The scaling from 1080p to 1440p represents a reduction of approximately 25 percent across all settings: from 341 to 256 FPS on Low, from 285 to 215 FPS on Medium, from 255 to 192 FPS on High, and from 225 to 169 FPS on Ultra. This is a substantial drop, but the frame rates remain extremely high, indicating that the GPU is still able to keep up with the increased pixel count. The scaling from 1440p to 4K is more pronounced: from 256 to 172 FPS on Low (a 33% drop), from 215 to 144 FPS on Medium (a 33% drop), from 192 to 128 FPS on High (a 33% drop), and from 169 to 113 FPS on Ultra (a 33% drop).

The consistency of this 33% drop across all settings when moving from 1440p to 4K suggests that the GPU workload is scaling linearly with pixel count, which is typical for a game that is not heavily geometry-bound. The fact that the frame rate still exceeds 100 FPS even at 4K Ultra indicates that this system is not GPU-bound in the traditional sense; instead, the game's engine and the rendering path allow for high performance at all resolutions. The limiting component in this scenario is likely the GPU, as the CPU has sufficient headroom to keep up with the frame rates. The data shows that even at 4K Ultra, the average FPS of 113 is smooth, and 4K Low reaches 172 FPS, demonstrating that the RTX 5070 is the primary driver of this performance.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 plays the dominant role in Dave The Diver's performance, as evidenced by the FPS scaling across resolutions. The GPU has 12 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 192-bit bus, which provides a bandwidth of 672.0 GB/s. This is ample for the game's textures and effects, as the memory is not a bottleneck at any of the tested settings. The GPU's clock speeds are base 2325 MHz and boost 2512 MHz, with a memory clock of 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective). These clocks, combined with the 6144 shading units and 192 TMUs, result in a pixel rate of 201.0 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 482.3 GTexel/s.

In the benchmark context, the RTX 5070 scores 29137 in Passmark G3D and 5077 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, placing it in the 82nd percentile of all GPUs. Its average benchmark score is 40377, with nearest rivals including the AMD Radeon Pro 580 at 40318 (a 0.1% difference) and the AMD Radeon Pro 5300 at 40870 (-1.2% difference). This performance is more than sufficient for Dave The Diver, which is not a graphically intensive title in the same way as a AAA first-person shooter. The GPU's high fill rates and memory bandwidth allow it to push frame rates well above 100 FPS at all resolutions, even at the highest settings.

The 12 GB of VRAM is a notable asset. At 4K Ultra, the game is likely using a significant portion of this memory, but the data does not show any stutter or frame time issues, as the minimum average FPS is 113. The memory clock of 1780 MHz effective at 28 Gbps is high, but the game does not appear to be memory-bandwidth limited, as the frame rate scaling is consistent. In terms of the GPU's role, it is the clear driver of performance, with the CPU providing enough support to avoid becoming a bottleneck.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal preset for Dave The Diver depends on the resolution and the user's preference for frame rate versus visual quality. At 1080p, the High preset delivers 255 FPS, which is excellent, and the Ultra preset still offers 225 FPS. The difference between Medium and High is 30 FPS (285 to 255), while the jump from High to Ultra is also 30 FPS (255 to 225). The High preset offers a good balance. At 1440p, the High preset at 192 FPS is 23 FPS lower than Medium at 215 FPS, but the visual upgrade is noticeable. At 4K, the High preset at 128 FPS is a strong choice, as the Ultra preset drops to 113 FPS, a 15 FPS difference.

For a smooth experience, the Medium preset at 4K yields 144 FPS with a minimum of 122 FPS, which is still above the typical 60 FPS monitor refresh. The High preset at 4K averages 128 FPS, which is also smooth. The Ultra preset, while visually superior, still holds 113 FPS, so it is playable. The Low preset is not necessary for any resolution, as even at 4K Low, the frame rate is 172 FPS, but the visual quality is significantly reduced. The data suggests that High is the sweet spot for 1080p and 1440p, while Medium or High at 4K is recommended. The minimum FPS data is only available for the Medium preset at each resolution (122 at 4K, 182 at 1440p, 242 at 1080p), which indicates that there is headroom, as the minimums are still high.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-14400F and RTX 5070 combination ranks 734th out of 3710 tested combos in Dave The Diver. This puts it in the top 20% of all systems tested. The rank is based on the measured FPS across all resolutions and settings, and the data indicates that this combo is above average for this game. The RTX 5070's high performance is the main factor, as the CPU is just a mid-range processor.

The combo's rank reflects that while it is not the absolute top-tier, it is well above the median. The 734th position out of 3710 means that most combos (over 80%) perform worse in this game. This is a strong showing, especially considering the game's relatively low graphics requirements. The rank reflects the GPU's capability, as the CPU's performance is more in line with mainstream processors. The data shows that the combo is a robust pairing for this title.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14400F is a 10-core, 16-thread processor with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz. It has 20 MB of shared L3 cache and supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 21645 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 3055 in single-core, placing it in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U (a 0.1% difference) and the Intel Core i9-11900 (a 0.2% difference), showing that it is a well-rounded performer.

In Dave The Diver, the CPU's role is secondary to the GPU. The game is not heavily threaded, and the 10 cores provide more than enough processing power for the game's logic and rendering. The high boost clock of 4.70 GHz ensures that single-threaded performance is strong, which is used by the game's engine. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21645 indicates that the CPU can handle multi-threaded tasks, but the game likely does not stress all 16 threads.

The benchmark data shows that the CPU is not a bottleneck. At 1080p, the frame rates are very high (up to 341 FPS on Low), which suggests that the CPU can feed the GPU with enough data. The scaling from 1080p to 4K is consistent, with the CPU being able to handle the workload at all resolutions. The i5-14400F has a 65W TDP, which is efficient, and its L3 cache of 20 MB helps with data throughput. The CPU's performance in PassMark single-thread (3701) and multi-thread (25470) further confirms its capability.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1440p on High settings?

A: The average FPS at 2560x1440 on High settings is 192 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 5070 compare to its nearest rival in terms of benchmarks?

A: The RTX 5070 has an average benchmark score of 40377, while its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon Pro 580, has a score of 40318, resulting in a 0.1% difference.

Q: At 4K, which settings provide the highest frame rate?

A: At 3840x2160, the Low settings provide the highest average FPS at 172 FPS, followed by Medium at 144 FPS, High at 128 FPS, and Ultra at 113 FPS.

Q: Does the game show a significant frame rate drop from 1440p to 4K?

A: The data shows a consistent 33% drop in average FPS across all settings when moving from 1440p to 4K. For example, on High settings, the FPS drops from 192 to 128.

Q: What is the single-core performance of the i5-14400F?

A: The i5-14400F scores 3055 in the Cinebench R23 single-core benchmark.

Q: How many cores does the Intel Core i5-14400F have?

A: The i5-14400F has 10 cores and 16 threads.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for the i5-14400F and RTX 5070 in Dave The Diver is as follows:

At 1920x1080:

• Low settings: average 341 FPS
• Medium settings: average 285 FPS, with a minimum of 242 FPS and a maximum of 328 FPS
• High settings: average 255 FPS
• Ultra settings: average 225 FPS

At 2560x1440:

• Low settings: average 256 FPS
• Medium settings: average 215 FPS, with a minimum of 182 FPS and a maximum of 247 FPS
• High settings: average 192 FPS
• Ultra settings: average 169 FPS

At 3840x2160:

• Low settings: average 172 FPS
• Medium settings: average 144 FPS, with a minimum of 122 FPS and a maximum of 165 FPS
• High settings: average 128 FPS
• Ultra settings: average 113 FPS

This breakdown shows the system's capability across the full range of resolutions and presets. The data is consistent, with no unexpected anomalies. The system is able to maintain high frame rates at all settings, and the minimum FPS values (only recorded for Medium settings) indicate that the frame pacing is stable, with the lowest minimum being 122 FPS at 4K. This is well above the threshold for smooth gameplay. The performance is a clear indicator that this combo is well-suited for Dave The Diver, offering a high level of performance without the need for aggressive settings.