Dave The Diver

Dave The Diver presents an interesting case study in hardware scaling, as this Intel Core i5-14600K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D combination delivers extraordinarily high frame rates across all tested resolutions, with the data revealing a clear progression of diminishing returns as resolution increases. The measured results show this pairing is heavily optimized for high-refresh-rate gaming, with even the most demanding 4K Ultra settings producing an average of 164 FPS, while dropping to 1080p Low pushes the average to an impressive 451 FPS, suggesting the system has substantial headroom for the game's pixel-art aesthetic and 2D gameplay mechanics.

Resolution Scaling

The resolution scaling behavior of this combo is particularly revealing about where the bottleneck lies in Dave The Diver. Moving from 1080p to 1440p at High settings, the average frame rate drops from 368 FPS to 277 FPS, representing a 24.7% decrease in performance for a 77.8% increase in pixel count. This disproportionate scaling suggests the CPU is playing a significant role at lower resolutions, as the GPU has ample capacity to render the relatively simple 2D scenes.

The scaling from 1440p to 4K at High settings shows a different pattern, with the average dropping from 277 FPS to 186 FPS, a 32.9% reduction. This steeper decline indicates the GPU begins to assert more influence at 4K, though the absolute frame rates remain exceptionally high. The data implies that even at 4K, this combination is far from GPU-bound in the traditional sense, as the 186 FPS average at High settings still exceeds what most displays can refresh.

Examining the Low preset across all three resolutions reveals the system's maximum potential: 451 FPS at 1080p, 371 FPS at 1440p, and 248 FPS at 4K. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p at Low settings shows a 17.7% performance drop, while 1440p to 4K shows a 33.2% decline. This pattern suggests that the CPU becomes increasingly important at lower settings, as the GPU has less work to do and the scene complexity becomes more dependent on processor throughput.

The Medium and Ultra presets follow expected trajectories, with Ultra showing the most consistent scaling across resolutions. At Ultra settings, the frame rates are 325 FPS at 1080p, 245 FPS at 1440p, and 164 FPS at 4K, representing drops of 24.6% and 33.1% respectively. The consistency of these percentages across presets indicates that Dave The Diver's rendering load scales predictably with resolution, with no unexpected performance cliffs or bottlenecks emerging at any tested configuration.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-14600K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D achieves a combo rank of 19 out of 2867 tested combinations in Dave The Diver, placing it in the top 0.7% of all systems evaluated for this game. This exceptional ranking reflects the system's ability to maintain high frame rates even at the most demanding settings, though the game's relatively simple 2D nature means that many combinations can achieve playable performance.

Looking at the individual components, the CPU's average benchmark score of 48,618 places it in the 90th percentile among all processors, with its nearest rivals being the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H (48,698, -0.2%), AMD EPYC 4345P (48,470, +0.3%), Intel Core Ultra 5 245HX (48,287, +0.7%), and Intel Core Ultra 5 245 (48,995, -0.8%). These tight margins show the i5-14600K is well-positioned in the mid-to-high-end desktop market, though its performance is nearly identical to several other modern processors.

The GPU's average benchmark score of 77,712 places it in the 92nd percentile among all graphics cards, with interestingly close rivals including the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT (76,904, +1.1%), AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (78,940, -1.6%), NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB (79,396, -2.1%), and NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB (79,605, -2.4%). The near-tie in benchmark scores between this flagship desktop GPU and several mobile or older workstation parts is noteworthy, though in actual gameplay the RTX 5090 D's massive memory bandwidth and modern architecture likely provide advantages that synthetic benchmarks may not fully capture.

The combo's 19th place ranking out of 2,867 combinations indicates that while this system is exceptionally capable for Dave The Diver, there are still 18 other configurations that achieve higher measured performance. This suggests that the game may favor certain hardware combinations, potentially those with even higher single-threaded performance or specific GPU characteristics that align with the game's rendering engine.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured frame rate data, the Medium preset appears to offer the best balance between visual quality and performance for this combination. At 4K Medium, the system delivers an average of 208 FPS with a minimum of 177 FPS and maximum of 239 FPS, which provides a comfortable margin above typical 144Hz displays while maintaining reasonable visual fidelity. The 1440p Medium setting at 310 FPS average seems excessive for most use cases, while the 1080p Medium at 412 FPS is likely beyond what any current monitor can display.

For users with 4K 120Hz or 144Hz displays, the High preset at 186 FPS average provides excellent visual quality while still exceeding common refresh rate targets. The Ultra preset at 164 FPS average is also viable for high-refresh-rate 4K displays, and the gap between High and Ultra is only 22 FPS, suggesting that the visual upgrade from Ultra may be worth the performance cost for those who prioritize image quality.

At 1440p, the Ultra preset's 245 FPS average is sufficient for even the most demanding high-refresh-rate monitors, making it the recommended choice for users with 240Hz displays. The High preset at 277 FPS provides additional headroom, but the difference between High and Ultra is only 32 FPS, which may not be noticeable in actual gameplay. For 1080p, all presets deliver frame rates well above 300 FPS, with even Ultra achieving 325 FPS, so users can select settings based purely on visual preference without worrying about performance constraints.

The Low preset, while delivering the highest frame rates (451 FPS at 1080p, 371 FPS at 1440p, 248 FPS at 4K), is likely unnecessary for this hardware combination given the game's relatively modest visual demands. However, for users with extreme high-refresh-rate displays (360Hz or above), the Low preset at 1080p could potentially unlock the system's full potential, though the visual sacrifices may not be worthwhile for most players.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured frame rate data reveals a consistent pattern across all resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the system achieves 368 FPS average at High, 451 FPS at Low, 412 FPS at Medium (with min/max of 351/474), and 325 FPS at Ultra. The Medium preset shows the most interesting data point, with a minimum of 351 FPS and maximum of 474 FPS, indicating a frame time variance of 123 FPS that could potentially cause noticeable stuttering in some scenes.

At 2560x1440, the measured results show 277 FPS at High, 371 FPS at Low, 310 FPS at Medium (264/357 min/max), and 245 FPS at Ultra. The Medium preset's frame time variance of 93 FPS is narrower than at 1080p, suggesting that the higher resolution helps smooth out frame delivery. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows consistent drops of approximately 24-25% across all presets, with the Low preset showing the smallest drop at 17.7%.

The 3840x2160 results demonstrate the system's 4K capabilities: 186 FPS at High, 248 FPS at Low, 208 FPS at Medium (177/239 min/max), and 164 FPS at Ultra. The Medium preset's minimum of 177 FPS is particularly noteworthy, as it remains above 144Hz even during demanding scenes. The scaling from 1440p to 4K shows drops of approximately 33% across all presets, with the Low preset showing the smallest drop at 33.2%.

Comparing the resolution scaling more directly, the ratio of 4K to 1080p performance at each preset shows interesting consistency: High is 186/368 = 0.505, Low is 248/451 = 0.550, Medium is 208/412 = 0.505, and Ultra is 164/325 = 0.505. This suggests that the game's rendering load scales almost perfectly with pixel count, with the Low preset showing slightly better scaling due to reduced GPU workload.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Dave The Diver at 4K with a 144Hz monitor?

A: Yes, the data shows the system achieves 164 FPS average at 4K Ultra settings and 186 FPS at 4K High, both exceeding 144Hz refresh rates. Even the Medium preset at 4K maintains a minimum of 177 FPS, which is above 144Hz.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combination?

A: The data suggests 1440p Ultra at 245 FPS average provides the best balance of visual quality and performance, as it exceeds 240Hz refresh rates while maintaining high settings. However, 4K High at 186 FPS is also excellent for users with 4K high-refresh-rate displays.

Q: Is the RTX 5090 D overkill for this game?

A: The benchmark results indicate the GPU is not fully utilized even at 4K Ultra, as the system maintains 164 FPS. The CPU's benchmark scores (90th percentile) and the game's 2D nature mean that this combination provides significant headroom, suggesting the GPU is not the limiting factor.

Q: How does the i5-14600K compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The CPU's average benchmark score of 48,618 is nearly identical to its closest competitors, with the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H at 48,698 (-0.2%), AMD EPYC 4345P at 48,470 (+0.3%), and Intel Core Ultra 5 245HX at 48,287 (+0.7%). The differences are minimal, within 1% of each other.

Q: What frame rates can users expect at 1080p?

A: The measured data shows 1080p performance ranges from 325 FPS at Ultra settings to 451 FPS at Low settings. Medium achieves 412 FPS (351-474 min/max), and High delivers 368 FPS, making this resolution suitable for extreme high-refresh-rate displays.

Q: Does the Medium preset show any frame time issues?

A: The Medium preset at 1080p shows a minimum of 351 FPS and maximum of 474 FPS, a 123 FPS variance that could cause perceptible stuttering. At 1440p Medium, the variance narrows to 93 FPS (264-357), and at 4K Medium it narrows further to 62 FPS (177-239).

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600K features 14 cores and 20 threads, with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and boost clock of 5.30 GHz, built on Intel's 10nm Raptor Lake architecture with a 24 MB shared L3 cache. In Dave The Diver, this processor's performance is sufficient to drive frame rates well above 300 FPS at 1080p, indicating that the game's CPU requirements are modest for a modern mid-to-high-end processor.

The CPU's benchmark performance places it in the 90th percentile of all processors, with a multi-core Cinebench R23 score of 24,491 and single-core score of 2,064. These scores suggest the processor has strong single-threaded performance that is particularly valuable for games like Dave The Diver, which likely relies on a primary gameplay thread for its 2D simulation and logic.

The processor's 20 threads and 14 cores provide substantial multi-tasking headroom, though the game's relatively simple mechanics likely don't utilize more than a few cores effectively. The L3 cache of 24 MB shared and 2 MB L2 per core help maintain low-latency access to game assets, which is beneficial for the frequent state changes typical of adventure games.

At lower resolutions, the CPU's role becomes more apparent, as the frame rate differences between 1080p and 1440p are smaller than the pixel count difference would suggest. This implies that at 1080p, the CPU is partially limiting performance, though the absolute frame rates remain exceptionally high. The processor's base clock of 3.50 GHz and boost of 5.30 GHz provide the single-threaded performance needed to maintain high frame rates even in complex gameplay scenarios.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is a flagship GPU with 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, delivering 1.79 TB/s of memory bandwidth, with base and boost clocks of 2017 MHz and 2407 MHz respectively. In Dave The Diver, the GPU's role becomes increasingly important at higher resolutions, as the 4K results show a 33% performance drop from 1440p consistently across all presets.

The GPU's 92nd percentile ranking and average benchmark score of 77,712 indicate it is among the most powerful graphics cards available, though its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks are surprisingly varied, including mobile GPUs and older data center parts. The Blackwell architecture with 21,760 shading units and 680 TMUs provides substantial raw compute capability, though the game's 2D pixel-art style likely doesn't heavily tax these resources.

The 32 GB of VRAM is vastly more than Dave The Diver requires, but the memory bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s ensures that texture streaming and frame buffer operations are never bottlenecks. The GPU's 104.8 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is likely underutilized in this game, as the 4K Ultra results at 164 FPS suggest the GPU has significant headroom remaining.

The GPU's role becomes more pronounced at 4K, where the performance drop from 1440p is consistent at 33% across all presets, indicating a predictable scaling pattern. The 176 ROPs and 423.6 GPixel/s pixel rate ensure that even at 4K, the GPU can efficiently process the game's relatively simple pixel shaders, though the frame rates suggest the game is not heavily GPU-bound even at the highest resolution tested.