Dave The Diver

Dave The Diver presents a unique challenge for hardware evaluation: it is a 2D adventure title with a top-down perspective, yet the benchmark data for the Intel Core i5-14600K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 combination reveals a performance profile that is heavily dictated by the GPU, even at lower resolutions. The measured frame rates are exceptionally high across all settings, indicating that this system is far beyond the threshold for smooth gameplay, but the scaling patterns between resolutions offer precise insights into where the bottleneck lies. This analysis dissects the measured FPS data to understand the relationship between the CPU, GPU, and the game's rendering engine, providing a clear picture of what users can expect from this specific hardware pairing.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 provides a clear illustration of how performance scales with pixel count. At the High preset, the average frame rate drops from 228 FPS at 1080p to 172 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 115 FPS at 4K. This represents a 24.6% decrease from 1080p to 1440p, followed by a 33.1% decrease from 1440p to 4K. The frame rate is not halving with every resolution jump, which suggests that the game is not purely pixel-bound at all settings.

Examining the Low preset reveals a more dramatic scaling curve. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 306 FPS. This drops to 230 FPS at 1440p (a 24.8% reduction) and then to 154 FPS at 4K (a 33.0% reduction). The percentage drops are nearly identical to the High preset, which is a strong indicator that the scaling factor is consistent regardless of the graphical complexity being rendered.

This consistent scaling pattern points to the GPU as the primary limiting factor. The RTX 3080, with its 10 GB of GDDR6X memory and 320-bit bus, is being tasked with filling an increasing number of pixels. The data shows that even at the most demanding 4K Ultra setting, the average frame rate remains at 102 FPS, which is well above playable thresholds. The fact that the CPU is not the bottleneck is further evidenced by the high frame rates at 1080p; if the 14-core, 20-thread i5-14600K were the limiting factor, we would expect to see a plateau in performance as the resolution decreases. Instead, we see continuous growth, confirming that the GPU is the constraining component across all tested configurations.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-14600K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 achieves a rank of 1030 out of 3710 tested combos in Dave The Diver. This places it in the top 27.8% of all tested configurations, which is a solid position for a game that is not particularly demanding on high-end hardware. The percentile ranking is a direct reflection of the raw performance on display, where the average frame rates across all settings and resolutions are consistently high.

This ranking is heavily influenced by the GPU's performance. The RTX 3080 sits in the 68th percentile among all GPUs, while the i5-14600K is in the 90th percentile among all CPUs. The CPU's high percentile reflects its strength, but in this specific game, the lower GPU percentile relative to the CPU means that the graphics card is the limiting factor. The combo's overall rank is therefore a blend of a very strong CPU and a strong, but not top-tier, GPU. The result is a system that can handle Dave The Diver with ease, but the ranking suggests that users with even more powerful GPUs would see higher frame rates, particularly at 4K resolution where the GPU is stressed the most.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 is the central component determining the frame rates in this benchmark. Its performance is defined by its 10 GB of GDDR6X memory, a 320-bit memory bus, and a bandwidth of 760.3 GB/s. The boost clock of 1710 MHz enables the GPU to process the game's 2D sprites and effects rapidly. In Dave The Diver, the 10 GB VRAM is sufficient for all tested settings, as evidenced by the consistent scaling patterns without any anomalies that would suggest memory swapping.

The GPU's role is clearly demonstrated in the 4K results. At 4K Ultra, the average frame rate is 102 FPS, which is a 50% reduction from the 202 FPS average at 1080p Ultra. This is a significant drop, but it is expected given the 4x increase in pixel count. The RTX 3080's 68th percentile ranking among all GPUs indicates that while it is a powerful card, it is not at the very top of the performance hierarchy. The benchmark results show that it is more than capable of delivering high refresh rate experiences at 1440p and solid 4K performance in this title, though the scaling shows the card is working progressively harder as resolution increases. The GPU's compute capabilities, rated at 29.77 TFLOPS for FP32, are more than sufficient for this game's visual effects, which do not appear to rely on heavy ray tracing or complex compute shaders based on the performance data.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across all settings and resolutions. At 1920x1080, the system achieves an average of 306 FPS on Low, 256 FPS on Medium, 228 FPS on High, and 202 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset is the only one at this resolution with a recorded minimum FPS of 218 and a maximum of 294, indicating some frame time variance, but the average remains exceptionally high.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages decrease proportionally: 230 FPS on Low, 193 FPS on Medium, 172 FPS on High, and 152 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset again shows a minimum of 164 FPS and a maximum of 221 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 78 FPS, which is a 33.9% difference, showing that the graphical settings have a noticeable impact on performance.

At 3840x2160, the performance is still impressive but shows the expected decline. The average FPS is 154 on Low, 129 on Medium, 115 on High, and 102 on Ultra. The Medium preset has a minimum of 110 FPS and a maximum of 148 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 52 FPS, which is a 33.8% difference, consistent with the 1440p scaling. This consistency across resolutions confirms that the GPU is being scaled uniformly, with no unexpected bottlenecks appearing at any specific setting. The data shows that even the most demanding preset at the highest resolution remains above the 100 FPS mark, which is a remarkable result for this hardware combination.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal settings depend on the user's target resolution and refresh rate. For 1080p displays, even the Ultra preset at 202 FPS is likely to exceed the refresh rate of most monitors. For 1440p, the High preset at 172 FPS offers a perfect balance, providing a high level of visual fidelity while maintaining a frame rate that supports 144Hz and 165Hz displays. The Ultra preset at 152 FPS is also viable for 144Hz monitors, but the 20 FPS difference between High and Ultra may not be worth the minimal visual gain in this title.

For 4K displays, the High preset at 115 FPS is the clear recommendation. It provides a smooth experience on 120Hz displays, and the jump to Ultra, which drops the frame rate to 102 FPS, does not offer a significant enough improvement in visual quality to justify the 13 FPS loss. The Low and Medium presets are not recommended for 4K as they would unnecessarily reduce visual fidelity when the system is already capable of maintaining high frame rates on High. The data indicates that the High preset is the sweet spot for this game on this hardware, delivering a consistent experience that is both visually appealing and performance-oriented.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600K plays a supporting role in this benchmark, but its capabilities ensure that it never becomes a limiting factor. With 14 cores (6 performance and 8 efficiency) and 20 threads, the CPU has ample processing power to handle the game's logic, AI, and physics calculations. The boost clock of 5.30 GHz ensures that single-threaded tasks are handled with minimal latency, which is crucial for maintaining high frame rates.

The CPU's benchmark scores support this conclusion. In Cinebench R23, it scores 24491 points in multi-core and 2064 points in single-core, placing it in the 90th percentile among all CPUs. The PassMark single-thread score of 4270 further confirms its strength in lightly-threaded workloads. In Dave The Diver, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with data fast enough to avoid any stalls. The benchmark data shows that this is achieved, as the frame rates scale smoothly with resolution and settings without any sudden drops that would indicate a CPU bottleneck.

The nearest rivals to this CPU, such as the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H and AMD EPYC 4345P, have similar average benchmark scores, with delta percentages of -0.2% and 0.3% respectively. This indicates that the i5-14600K is in a performance tier that is well-suited for gaming, providing more than enough headroom for a game like Dave The Diver. The CPU's 24 MB of shared L3 cache also helps to reduce latency for frequently accessed data, contributing to the overall smoothness of the experience.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate achieved by this combo?

A: The highest average frame rate is 306 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset.

Q: How does the performance at 4K Ultra compare to 1080p Ultra?

A: At 4K Ultra, the average frame rate is 102 FPS, which is 50% lower than the 202 FPS average at 1080p Ultra. This is a direct result of the increased pixel count.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor. The frame rates continue to scale with decreasing resolution, which would not happen if the CPU were the bottleneck. The GPU's 68th percentile ranking compared to the CPU's 90th percentile supports this.

Q: What is the recommended preset for a 1440p display?

A: The High preset at 2560x1440, which averages 172 FPS, is recommended. It provides a high level of visual quality while maintaining a frame rate suitable for high-refresh-rate monitors.

Q: Does the RTX 3080 have enough VRAM for this game?

A: Yes, the 10 GB of GDDR6X memory is sufficient. The performance scaling is consistent across all settings, with no anomalies that would suggest VRAM capacity is being exceeded.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: This combo ranks 1030 out of 3710 tested combos in Dave The Diver, placing it in the top 27.8% of all tested systems.