Dave The Diver

Dave The Diver is an Adventure title that rarely stresses high-end hardware, yet the data captured for the Intel Core i5-14600KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 reveals a fascinating study in bottleneck behavior at extreme framerates. The combination achieves an average FPS that places it in the 53rd position out of 1626 tested combos in this game, a strong showing that puts it ahead of approximately 97% of all recorded configurations. The sheer speed of the RTX 5080, combined with the 14 cores and 20 threads of the i5-14600KF, creates a system where the CPU’s single-thread performance becomes the primary gatekeeper for maximum frame delivery.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i5-14600KF is a 14-core, 20-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, built on a 10 nm process node. It operates with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz, providing substantial single-thread throughput that is critical for a game like Dave The Diver, which often relies on a single primary simulation thread for game logic and AI. Its benchmark scores reflect this strength: the Cinebench R23 single-core score is 4643, while the multi-core score reaches 32889, indicating a balanced capability that prevents the CPU from becoming a liability in less parallel workloads.

In the context of this specific game, the CPU's role is less about raw multi-threaded muscle and more about delivering consistent, high-frequency responses to draw calls and game state updates. The data suggests that at lower resolutions, the CPU's 5.30 GHz boost clock is the limiting factor, as the GPU is capable of rendering frames far faster than the CPU can issue commands. The processor’s 24 MB of shared L3 cache also helps keep frequently accessed game data close at hand, reducing latency. Compared to its nearest rivals, the i5-14600KF sits within a tight performance band; it is 0.4% ahead of the Intel Core i5-14600K and 0.6% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X, but 0.5% behind the AMD EPYC 4345P in average benchmark scores. This indicates that while the CPU is not the absolute fastest available, its performance is highly competitive, and in a frame-rate-unlocked scenario like Dave The Diver, its speed is more than sufficient to feed the GPU at 1440p and 4K.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The comboRankInGame field places this specific pairing at rank 53 out of 1626 combinations tested within the game's database. This is a top-tier result, placing the system in the 97th percentile of all tested configurations. The ranking implies that while there are 52 other combos that achieve higher average FPS, they likely consist of more expensive or specialized hardware that pushes frame rates even higher. The delta between this combo and those above it is not available in the data, but the position itself is notable; it suggests that the i5-14600KF and RTX 5080 pairing is exceptionally well-balanced for this title, avoiding severe bottlenecks that would drag it down the list. The data shows that the combo outperforms the vast majority of systems, which likely include older GPUs or CPUs with lower single-thread performance.

The rank also indicates a synergy between the components. A less capable CPU would likely cause the combo to fall in rank due to CPU limits at 1080p, while a weaker GPU would reduce the high-resolution performance. The fact that it sits so high suggests that the 5.30 GHz boost clock of the i5-14600KF is sufficient to keep the RTX 5080's frame pipeline full, even at 1080p where the GPU is least strained. This high rank confirms the CPU's ability to handle the game's logic without becoming the primary constraint, allowing the RTX 5080's raw power to shine through.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data reveals a clear scaling pattern that highlights the shift in bottleneck from CPU to GPU as resolution increases. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 434.6 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low, the average FPS drops to 327.7, a reduction of 106.9 FPS (approximately 24.6%). Further moving to 4K Low, the FPS falls to 220.3, which is a 107.4 FPS drop from 1440p (approximately 32.8%). This trend shows that as the pixel count increases, the GPU becomes more heavily loaded, reducing the frame rate. The relatively small difference between 1080p and 1440p in percentage terms suggests that at 1080p, the CPU is the limiting factor, preventing the GPU from reaching its full potential.

At 4K Ultra, the FPS drops to 145.9, which is roughly 33.6% lower than the 1080p Ultra result of 284.8 FPS. This indicates that at 4K with high settings, the GPU is fully saturated, and the CPU has ample headroom to keep up. The data implies that the transition from 1440p to 4K results in a more significant frame rate penalty than from 1080p to 1440p, which is consistent with GPU-bound behavior. The limiting component analysis is clear: at 1080p, the i5-14600KF's core clock speed is the ceiling; at 4K, the RTX 5080's rendering throughput is the ceiling. This is a classic example of a high-end system where the CPU is the bottleneck at low resolutions, but the GPU dominates at higher ones.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The collected data provides a complete picture of performance across three resolutions and four quality presets. At 1920x1080, the average FPS ranges from a low of 284.8 on Ultra to a high of 434.6 on Low. The Medium preset delivers 364.2 FPS, while High achieves 323.1 FPS. This shows a 149.8 FPS difference between the lowest and highest settings at 1080p, indicating that the GPU has significant overhead at this resolution, and the settings primarily affect the GPU load while the CPU maintains a high frame floor.

At 2560x1440, the numbers are still extremely high but show a tighter spread. Ultra yields 215.7 FPS, High produces 242.4 FPS, Medium reaches 270.1 FPS, and Low tops out at 327.7 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra here is 112.0 FPS, a reduction in spread compared to 1080p, which suggests the GPU is starting to become more of a factor. At 3840x2160, the gap narrows further: Low yields 220.3 FPS, Medium drops to 182.5 FPS, High falls to 163.3 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 145.9 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra at 4K is 74.4 FPS, which is the smallest absolute difference of the three resolutions, confirming that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at this resolution, and the settings have a more pronounced impact on the absolute frame rate.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 is a Blackwell 2.0 architecture GPU built on a 5 nm process at TSMC, featuring 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus. Its memory bandwidth of 960.0 GB/s is exceptionally high, which is a key factor in maintaining high frame rates at 4K resolution. The GPU operates with a base clock of 2295 MHz and a boost clock of 2617 MHz, and it contains 10752 shading units, 336 TMUs, and 112 ROPs. The high pixel rate of 293.1 GPixel/s and texture rate of 879.3 GTexel/s directly contribute to the ability to render complex scenes at high resolutions.

In Dave The Diver, the GPU’s role becomes dominant at 4K, where the data shows a clear scaling with settings. The 16 GB VRAM is more than sufficient for this game, which likely does not exceed 8 GB even at 4K Ultra, meaning there is no memory capacity bottleneck. The GPU’s benchmark scores reflect its high-end status; it achieves a Passmark G3D score of 36565 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 8637, placing it in the 89th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals, such as the Intel Arc A580, are significantly slower, with the RTX 5080 being 2.5% faster in average benchmark score, highlighting its position as a top-tier card. The GPU's high clock speeds and massive compute throughput (56.28 TFLOPS FP32) are the reasons why it can push 220 FPS at 4K Low, a feat that would be impossible for lesser hardware.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target display refresh rate and resolution. At 1080p, every preset is playable, but the difference between Low (434.6 FPS) and Ultra (284.8 FPS) is substantial. For a 240Hz monitor, High (323.1 FPS) is the sweet spot, as it provides a visually superior experience while still exceeding the refresh rate, whereas Ultra might dip below 240 FPS in heavier scenes. At 1440p, the Medium preset (270.1 FPS) is recommended for 240Hz displays, as it sits above the threshold and offers a good balance of visual quality and speed; High (242.4 FPS) also works but is closer to the limit. For 4K gaming on a 144Hz or 165Hz display, the High preset (163.3 FPS) is the best choice, as it exceeds the 144Hz threshold and provides significantly better image quality than Medium (182.5 FPS) or Low (220.3 FPS) while still maintaining a high frame rate. Ultra at 4K (145.9 FPS) is viable for 144Hz displays but leaves less headroom for frame time spikes, so High is the safer recommendation for a consistently smooth experience.

FAQ

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

A: The highest average FPS is 434.6, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested systems in Dave The Diver?

A: This combo ranks 53rd out of 1626 total tested combos, placing it in the top 3.3% of all configurations.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck at 1080p?

A: The data indicates the CPU is the limiting factor at 1080p, as the FPS drops significantly when moving from 1080p to 1440p (e.g., from 434.6 to 327.7 on Low), while the GPU still has headroom.

Q: What is the average FPS at 4K with Ultra settings?

A: The average FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 145.9.

Q: Does the RTX 5080 have enough VRAM for this game?

A: Yes, the 16 GB of GDDR7 memory is more than sufficient; the game is not memory-constrained, as indicated by the high frame rates at all resolutions.

Q: What is the FPS difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Low settings yield 327.7 FPS, while Ultra yields 215.7 FPS, a difference of 112.0 FPS.