Dave The Diver

Dave The Diver, an Adventure title released on 2023-06-27, presents a unique workload that is far more forgiving on hardware than most modern AAA releases. The combination of the Intel Core i5-14600K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 demonstrates exceptional capability, placing this pairing at rank 846 out of 3710 tested combos. This places it in the top 22.8% of all configurations tested for this specific title, indicating a strong performance tier that should comfortably handle the game's demands across a wide range of display configurations.

How This Combo Ranks

The measured data for this combo shows a system that is heavily overqualified for the task at hand. Ranking 846th out of 3710 combos places the Intel Core i5-14600K + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 pairing in the upper quartile of all tested systems for Dave The Diver. This high ranking is not surprising given the game's stylized, top-down presentation, which lacks the heavy geometric and shading complexity of other genres. The data suggests that this configuration is not merely adequate but is in a performance tier where the bottleneck shifts almost entirely to the display's refresh rate rather than the hardware's capability.

The CPU performance reinforces this position. The Core i5-14600K sits in the 90th percentile against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 48618. Its nearest rivals in the synthetic benchmark suite are the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H (scoring 48698, a 0.2% difference) and the AMD EPYC 4345P (scoring 48470, a 0.3% difference). This indicates that the CPU's processing power is not a limiting factor in this title, as even the modest single-core and multi-core demands of Dave The Diver are far exceeded by this processor's capabilities.

On the GPU side, the RTX 4070 holds the 81st percentile against all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 37648. Its performance is tightly clustered with rivals such as the NVIDIA Tesla P4 (scoring 37628, a 0.1% delta) and the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 (scoring 37507, a 0.4% delta). While this mid-range GPU ranking is respectable, the actual in-game FPS data reveals that it is more than sufficient for this particular title, driving frame rates that far exceed the refresh rates of standard monitors at nearly all settings.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance on optimal settings. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset delivers an average of 211 FPS, while the High preset jumps to 238 FPS. The Medium preset offers 267 FPS, and Low reaches 319 FPS. Given the high frame rates across the board, the choice of preset should be based on the user's display refresh rate. For a standard 144Hz monitor, the Ultra preset at 1080p is the optimal choice, as it provides the highest visual fidelity while still maintaining a substantial 67 FPS headroom above the refresh rate.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains exceptionally high. The Ultra preset averages 158 FPS, High averages 179 FPS, and Medium averages 201 FPS. This resolution is where the RTX 4070 begins to show its strength, as it can maintain high refresh rates even at the most demanding visual settings. The data indicates that the Ultra preset at 1440p is the sweet spot for this combo, providing a visually rich experience without sacrificing the smoothness that high refresh rate displays offer. The 158 FPS average is still well above the 144Hz threshold.

For 4K (3840x2160), the performance scales down but remains playable and often excellent. The Ultra preset delivers an average of 106 FPS, which is suitable for a 60Hz or even a 120Hz display. The High preset bumps this up to 120 FPS, while Medium reaches 135 FPS. Given the minimal visual difference between High and Ultra in many titles, the High preset at 4K offers the best balance, providing a 120 FPS average that is perfectly synced for a 120Hz display. The data suggests that users should prioritize the High or Ultra presets at this resolution to leverage the hardware's full potential.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data reveals a classic resolution scaling curve that highlights the shifting balance between CPU and GPU load. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 on the Ultra preset, the average FPS drops from 211 to 158, a reduction of 25.1%. This is a significant drop, but the frame rates remain exceptionally high. The scaling from 1440p to 4K is more pronounced, with the Ultra preset dropping from 158 FPS to 106 FPS, a decrease of 32.9%. This steeper decline at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU is becoming the primary limiting component as pixel count increases.

The data on the Low preset further clarifies this. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 319 FPS, which drops to 240 FPS at 1440p (a 24.8% decrease) and then to 161 FPS at 4K (a 32.9% decrease from 1440p). The fact that even at Low settings the frame rates are extremely high suggests that the game engine is not heavily burdening the CPU at lower resolutions. The bottleneck analysis points to the GPU being the primary constraint at 4K, as the CPU's capabilities are likely underutilized given the lower thread counts often used by such games.

The relatively small performance gap between the Low and Ultra presets at the same resolution further supports the notion that the CPU is not the limiting factor. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 108 FPS (319 vs 211), which is a notable 51.2% improvement from Low to Ultra. However, this gap narrows at 4K, where the difference is only 55 FPS (161 vs 106), a 51.9% difference. This suggests that as resolution increases, the GPU's rendering load scales, but the CPU's workload remains relatively constant, confirming that the RTX 4070 is the component that dictates the upper limits of performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete dataset provides a comprehensive view of the system's capabilities. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers exceptional performance across all presets. The Low preset averages 319 FPS, Medium averages 267 FPS (with a minimum of 227 and a maximum of 307), High averages 238 FPS, and Ultra averages 211 FPS. These figures indicate that even the most demanding preset at 1080p leaves significant performance headroom, making this resolution trivial for the hardware.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains high but shows more variation. The Low preset averages 240 FPS, Medium averages 201 FPS (with a minimum of 171 and a maximum of 231), High averages 179 FPS, and Ultra averages 158 FPS. The minimum FPS values for the Medium preset at 1440p (171 FPS) are still above the refresh rate of most gaming monitors, ensuring a smooth experience even during intense gameplay sequences.

At 3840x2160, the scaling becomes more apparent. The Low preset averages 161 FPS, Medium averages 135 FPS (with a minimum of 114 and a maximum of 155), High averages 120 FPS, and Ultra averages 106 FPS. The minimum FPS of 114 at Medium 4K suggests that there are occasional dips, but these are still well within the territory of playability for a 60Hz or 120Hz display. The Ultra preset at 4K, while averaging 106 FPS, does not have a recorded minimum, but the average suggests it is suitable for high-refresh gaming.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Dave The Diver at 4K with maximum settings?

A: Yes. The measured data shows an average of 106 FPS at 3840x2160 with the Ultra preset. This is well above the 60 FPS threshold and is even suitable for 120Hz displays, though the High preset (120 FPS) provides more headroom.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-14600K a bottleneck for the RTX 4070 in this game?

A: No. The CPU sits in the 90th percentile overall, and the FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K indicates that the GPU is the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions. The CPU's performance is more than sufficient for this title.

Q: What is the best preset for a 144Hz monitor at 1440p?

A: The Ultra preset at 2560x1440 averages 158 FPS, which is above 144Hz. This provides the best visual quality while maintaining the full refresh rate. The High preset (179 FPS) offers even more headroom if minor visual sacrifices are acceptable.

Q: How does the RTX 4070 compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 4070 has an average benchmark score of 37648. It is 0.1% faster than the NVIDIA Tesla P4 and 0.4% faster than the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56, but 1.3% slower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile.

Q: Are the frame rates consistent, or are there significant drops?

A: The measured minimum FPS values for the Medium preset are 227 FPS at 1080p, 171 FPS at 1440p, and 114 FPS at 4K. These minimums are still high, indicating stable performance without severe stuttering.

Q: Does the CPU's 14 cores and 20 threads matter for this game?

A: While the CPU has 14 cores and 20 threads, the high FPS even at Low settings suggests the game is not heavily multi-threaded. The CPU's strong single-core performance (a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2064) is more relevant for maintaining high frame rates.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600K is a 14-core, 20-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, operating on the Intel Socket 1700 platform. It has a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz, with a 125W TDP. For Dave The Diver, an Adventure game that does not typically scale with high core counts, the CPU's performance is more than adequate. The benchmark scores reinforce this, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 24491 and a single-core score of 2064, placing it in the 90th percentile against all CPUs.

The data suggests that the CPU is not the limiting factor at any resolution. Even at 1080p with the Low preset, where CPU overhead is typically highest, the combo achieves 319 FPS. This indicates that the processor's strong single-threaded performance, evidenced by its Passmark single-thread score of 4270, is sufficient to feed the GPU without bottlenecking. The CPU's 24 MB of shared L3 cache also helps in maintaining smooth frame pacing.

The processor's nearest rivals in the synthetic benchmark suite include the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H and the AMD EPYC 4345P, with performance deltas of -0.2% and +0.3% respectively. This tight clustering in the 48000-49000 score range shows that the i5-14600K is a well-balanced processor that provides consistent performance, which is more than enough for the demands of Dave The Diver.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070, based on the Ada Lovelace architecture, is the primary driver of visual fidelity in this combo. It features 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU has a base clock of 1920 MHz and a boost clock of 2475 MHz, with a 200W TDP. This specification set places it in the 81st percentile against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 37648.

In Dave The Diver, the RTX 4070 demonstrates its capability by delivering high frame rates even at 4K. The GPU's role becomes increasingly important as resolution increases, with the performance drop from 1080p to 4K being more pronounced on the GPU-heavy Ultra preset (from 211 FPS to 106 FPS). This indicates that the graphics card is the primary component that scales with the game's rendering load.

The GPU's 12 GB of VRAM is ample for this title, and its 504.2 GB/s memory bandwidth ensures that texture streaming and high-resolution rendering do not cause stutters. The RTX 4070's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Tesla P4 (0.1% faster) and the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 (0.4% slower), showing that it performs as expected for its class. The data confirms that the RTX 4070 is a capable partner for the i5-14600K, providing a balanced platform that excels in this specific game.