Dave The Diver

# Dave The Diver — Intel Core i5-9400 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER

This combination of an Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER delivers a thoroughly playable experience in Dave The Diver across all tested resolutions. The measured frame rates show a system that comfortably exceeds 60 FPS at 4K with High settings, while 1080p Low pushes past 190 FPS. The data suggests this pairing is well-balanced for the game's demands, with the GPU handling the primary load at higher resolutions and the six-core CPU providing sufficient headroom at lower settings.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data shows that the High preset offers the optimal balance between visual fidelity and performance for this configuration. At 1080p, High produces an average of 146 FPS, which is only 17 FPS below the Medium preset's 163 FPS but delivers noticeably better image quality. The gap narrows at 1440p, where High achieves 110 FPS versus Medium's 123 FPS, and at 4K the difference tightens further to 74 FPS versus 82 FPS. Given that all High results remain well above the 60 FPS threshold, there is no compelling reason to drop to Medium except for users with high-refresh-rate 1080p displays seeking maximum smoothness.

The Ultra preset is viable but not recommended for most users. At 1080p, Ultra averages 129 FPS, which is still very playable, but the 17 FPS drop from High suggests diminishing returns. At 1440p, Ultra falls to 97 FPS, and at 4K it drops to 65 FPS — the latter being dangerously close to the edge of comfort for demanding scenes. The Low preset delivers impressive raw numbers (195 FPS at 1080p, 147 FPS at 1440p, 98 FPS at 4K) but sacrifices the visual quality that makes Dave The Diver's underwater environments appealing. For 4K users, High at 74 FPS is the sweet spot; for competitive play at 1080p, Medium at 163 FPS provides a better frame-time margin than High without the visual penalty of Low.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 brings six cores and six threads to this pairing, with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. This Coffee Lake architecture processor has a 9 MB shared L3 cache and supports DDR4 memory in dual-channel configuration with 42.7 GB/s bandwidth. In Dave The Diver, the CPU's role becomes evident when examining the frame rate scaling across resolution changes. The jump from 4K High at 74 FPS to 1440p High at 110 FPS represents a 48.6% improvement, and further to 1080p High at 146 FPS adds another 32.7%. This scaling pattern indicates that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, as the frame rate increases proportionally with reduced GPU load.

The processor's benchmark scores place it in the 47th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 2254. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-1068NG7, scores 2259 (a -0.2% delta), while the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 sits at 2246 (0.4% delta). These figures suggest the i5-9400 is a mid-pack performer in general compute tasks. In the context of Dave The Diver, the six-thread configuration appears adequate: at 1080p Low, the system achieves 195 FPS, which would stress most CPUs, yet the frame rate still scales strongly when moving from 1440p to 1080p (147 to 195 FPS, a 32.7% increase). This indicates the CPU can feed the GPU effectively even at high frame rates, though the lack of multi-threading could become a factor in more CPU-intensive titles.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is built on the Turing architecture with 2176 shading units, 136 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs. It operates at a base clock of 1470 MHz and boost clock of 1650 MHz, with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus delivering 448.0 GB/s bandwidth. The GPU's FP32 performance is rated at 7.181 TFLOPS, with 34 RT cores and 272 tensor cores available for ray tracing and AI workloads — though Dave The Diver's stylized visuals likely do not stress these specialized units heavily.

The GPU's benchmark profile shows a Passmark G3D score of 16462 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2011, placing it in the 62nd percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile, scores 18159 (a -0.4% delta), while the AMD Radeon RX 460 achieves 18373 (-1.5% delta) — the latter being an unusual comparison that suggests the benchmark database may have some variance. The GPU's role in Dave The Diver becomes clear when examining the 4K results: High settings produce 74 FPS, Medium 82 FPS, and Low 98 FPS. The 24 FPS gap between Low and High at 4K demonstrates that the GPU is the limiting factor at this resolution, as reducing visual complexity directly translates to higher frame rates. At 1080p, the spread from Low (195 FPS) to Ultra (129 FPS) is 66 FPS, indicating the GPU still carries significant load even at lower resolutions, but the overall high frame rates suggest the CPU can keep pace.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER ranks 2618 out of 3710 tested combos in Dave The Diver, placing it in the 29.4th percentile of all configurations. This ranking might seem modest, but it reflects the fact that Dave The Diver is not a demanding title, and many high-end systems will achieve very high frame rates. The measured data shows this combo delivers 74 FPS at 4K High, which is significantly above the 60 FPS target most games aim for, yet the rank indicates that many other combinations achieve even higher numbers.

The ranking context is important: with 3710 total combos tested, being at position 2618 means roughly 70% of configurations outperform this pairing. However, the actual gameplay experience is smooth across all settings and resolutions tested. The CPU's 47th percentile ranking and GPU's 62nd percentile ranking suggest the GPU is the stronger component in this pairing, which aligns with the game's scaling behavior. The combo rank being lower than either individual component's percentile indicates that Dave The Diver may reward GPU-heavy configurations more than CPU-heavy ones, or that the specific balance of this pairing is not optimal for this title's engine.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a clear picture of which component limits performance. At High settings, the progression is 146 FPS at 1080p, 110 FPS at 1440p, and 74 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are 24.7% from 1080p to 1440p, and 32.7% from 1440p to 4K. This accelerating decline as resolution increases is the classic signature of a GPU-bound scenario — the CPU's work per frame stays roughly constant, but the GPU's pixel-pushing workload grows quadratically with resolution.

At Low settings, the same pattern appears with 195 FPS at 1080p, 147 FPS at 1440p (24.6% drop), and 98 FPS at 4K (33.3% drop). The consistency of these percentage drops across settings suggests the limiting component does not change: the GPU remains the bottleneck throughout. If the CPU were the constraint, we would expect the 1080p results to plateau regardless of settings, but instead they scale from 129 FPS at Ultra to 195 FPS at Low, indicating the GPU has headroom to work harder when visual load is reduced. The Medium preset shows min FPS values of 139 at 1080p, 105 at 1440p, and 70 at 4K, providing useful data on frame-time stability — the 4K min of 70 FPS is still above the 60 FPS threshold, suggesting this combo never drops below playable frame rates in the tested scenarios.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to maintain 60+ FPS in Dave The Diver?

A: All tested resolutions maintain an average of 65 FPS or higher on the Ultra preset. The lowest measured average is 65 FPS at 4K Ultra, meaning every combination of resolution and settings in the data exceeds the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the i5-9400 compare to its nearest CPU rivals in the benchmark database?

A: The i5-9400 has an average benchmark score of 2254, placing it at the 47th percentile. Its closest rival, the Intel Core i7-1068NG7, scores 2259 (-0.2% delta), while the Intel Core i3-10305 scores 2264 (-0.4% delta). The AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 scores 2246 (0.4% delta), showing these four processors are nearly identical in average performance.

Q: Is the RTX 2060 SUPER well-suited for 4K gaming in this title?

A: Yes. The measured data shows 74 FPS at 4K High settings and 65 FPS at 4K Ultra. These numbers are comfortably above the 60 FPS standard for smooth gameplay, making 4K viable for this game with this GPU.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU bottleneck more in Dave The Diver?

A: The GPU is the primary limiting factor. Evidence includes the consistent FPS scaling pattern when changing resolution (e.g., High settings show 24.7% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and 32.7% from 1440p to 4K), which indicates GPU-bound behavior. The CPU's six cores and 4.10 GHz boost clock provide adequate throughput for the game's demands.

Q: What are the measured FPS at Medium settings across all resolutions?

A: At 1080p Medium, the average FPS is 163 with a min of 139 and max of 188. At 1440p Medium, the average is 123 FPS with a min of 105 and max of 141. At 4K Medium, the average is 82 FPS with a min of 70 and max of 95.

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

A: This combo ranks 2618 out of 3710 tested combinations. While this places it in the lower 30% of all configurations, the actual gameplay performance is strong, with no tested scenario falling below 65 FPS average.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates across all settings. The Low preset produces an average of 195 FPS, Medium averages 163 FPS (minimum 139, maximum 188), High averages 146 FPS, and Ultra averages 129 FPS. The 66 FPS spread between Low and Ultra demonstrates the GPU's capability to scale with visual demands at this resolution. All settings comfortably exceed 120 FPS, making 1080p suitable for high-refresh-rate displays.

At 2560x1440, performance remains strong but shows the expected decline. Low averages 147 FPS, Medium averages 123 FPS (minimum 105, maximum 141), High averages 110 FPS, and Ultra averages 97 FPS. The minimum FPS at Medium (105) remains well above the 60 FPS threshold, indicating stable frame delivery even during demanding underwater scenes. The drop from 1080p to 1440p ranges from 24.6% at Low to 24.8% at Ultra, showing consistent scaling.

At 3840x2160, the system still delivers playable frame rates across all settings. Low averages 98 FPS, Medium averages 82 FPS (minimum 70, maximum 95), High averages 74 FPS, and Ultra averages 65 FPS. The Medium preset's minimum of 70 FPS is particularly notable, as it shows the system maintains comfortable frame rates even in the most demanding scenes at 4K. The 33 FPS difference between Low and Ultra at this resolution (98 vs 65) highlights the GPU's workload scaling with visual complexity. For users prioritizing visual quality, High at 74 FPS is the recommended choice; for those seeking maximum frame rates at 4K, Low at 98 FPS provides a significant boost without dropping below playable levels.