Dave The Diver

Dave The Diver is not a typical GPU stress test, and the measured frame rates for the Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER combination reflect that. The data shows a system that is overwhelmingly capable of running this adventure title at extremely high refresh rates, with the bottleneck shifting decisively toward the CPU only at the lowest resolution and settings. Across all tested presets, the average frame rate never drops below 72 FPS, indicating that this pairing is substantially overqualified for the game's demands, even at 4K Ultra.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a configuration that is heavily GPU-limited at higher resolutions but begins to show CPU limitations at 1080p. At the "Low" settings preset, the average FPS drops from 215 at 1920x1080 to 162 at 2560x1440, a 24.7% reduction, and then to 108 at 3840x2160, a further 33.3% reduction. This scaling pattern is consistent with a GPU that is handling the majority of the workload as pixel count increases.

However, the most telling data point is the performance at 1080p across different settings. When moving from "Low" (215 FPS) to "Ultra" (142 FPS) at 1920x1080, the frame rate drops by 73 FPS. This is a significant performance hit that is not purely attributable to GPU load, as the RTX 2070 SUPER should be less strained at 1080p. This suggests that at lower resolutions, the Intel Core i5-9400's six cores and six threads become a limiting factor, preventing the GPU from achieving even higher frame rates.

The gap between resolutions narrows as settings increase. At "Ultra" settings, the difference between 1080p (142 FPS) and 1440p (107 FPS) is 35 FPS, and the gap between 1440p and 4K (72 FPS) is also 35 FPS. In contrast, at "Low" settings, the gap between 1080p and 1440p is 53 FPS, and the gap between 1440p and 4K is 54 FPS. This wider gap at lower settings reinforces the theory that the CPU is the primary bottleneck at 1080p Low, as the GPU has more headroom to be constrained by the processor's frame pacing.

At 4K, the performance delta between "Low" (108 FPS) and "Ultra" (72 FPS) is 36 FPS, which is a substantial range. This indicates that even at 4K, the GPU is not completely saturated, and the settings have a meaningful impact on performance. The data suggests that this combo is best suited for high-refresh-rate 1440p gaming, where it can maintain triple-digit frame rates at most settings, while 4K gaming is viable but will require tuning expectations for the highest presets.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate this combo achieves in Dave The Diver?

A: The highest measured average frame rate is 215 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with the "Low" settings preset.

Q: Can this system run Dave The Diver at 4K with playable frame rates?

A: Yes. The data shows an average of 72 FPS at 3840x2160 with "Ultra" settings and 81 FPS at "High" settings, both of which are above the standard 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the RTX 2070 SUPER compare to its nearest rivals in benchmark scores?

A: The RTX 2070 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 20282. It is 1% slower than the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M (20480) and 1.2% slower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (20534). It is also 1.3% slower than the Intel Arc B570 (20556) and 1.5% slower than the Intel Arc A750 (20582).

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the main bottleneck for this game at 1080p?

A: Benchmark results indicate the CPU becomes the limiting factor at 1080p, particularly at lower settings. The frame rate at 1080p Low (215 FPS) is significantly lower than what the GPU is likely capable of, and the large drop in FPS when moving to Ultra settings suggests the CPU's six threads struggle to feed the GPU efficiently at high frame rates.

Q: What is the measured minimum FPS for the Medium settings preset?

A: At 3840x2160 Medium, the minimum FPS is 77. At 2560x1440 Medium, the minimum FPS is 115, and at 1920x1080 Medium, the minimum FPS is 153. These figures show consistent frame pacing with no severe dips.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested CPU and GPU pairings for this game?

A: This specific combination of the Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER ranks 2150 out of 3710 tested combos for Dave The Diver.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER is the dominant component in this pairing for Dave The Diver, particularly as resolution increases. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is more than sufficient for the textures and assets in this game, even at 4K. The GPU's architecture, based on Turing, includes 2560 shading units and 64 ROPs, contributing to a pixel rate of 113.3 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 283.2 GTexel/s.

The card's boost clock of 1770 MHz (with a base clock of 1605 MHz) allows it to maintain high throughput in sustained gaming sessions. The data shows that the GPU is the primary driver of performance scaling from 1440p to 4K. For instance, at "High" settings, the average FPS drops from 121 at 1440p to 81 at 4K, a 33% reduction. This is a direct consequence of the increased pixel count demanding more from the GPU's shading units and ROPs.

However, the GPU's role is somewhat diminished at 1080p. The fact that the average FPS at 1080p "Ultra" (142 FPS) is lower than at 1440p "High" (121 FPS) suggests that the GPU is not the sole determinant of performance. The GPU is capable of rendering frames faster than the CPU can issue draw calls, leading to a CPU bottleneck. The RTX 2070 SUPER's performance percentile (65th among all GPUs) and its average benchmark score of 20282 indicate it is a solid mid-to-high-range card, but its potential is not fully realized in this specific game at lower resolutions due to the processor's limitations.

The GPU also features 40 RT cores and 320 tensor cores, which are not heavily utilized in this adventure title but contribute to its DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) support. The 12 nm process node and 13,600 million transistors on a 545 mm² die highlight that this is a power-hungry chip (215 W TDP), but the performance it delivers at 4K justifies its presence in this combo.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand scheme of tested hardware for Dave The Diver, this combination of the Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER holds a rank of 2150 out of 3710 total combos. This places it in the lower-middle portion of the performance spectrum, which is surprising given the high absolute frame rates measured. The ranking is likely influenced by the fact that many other tested combos feature newer, higher-end CPUs and GPUs that achieve even higher frame rates, particularly at 1080p where the CPU bottleneck is most apparent.

The CPU's percentile rank (47th among all CPUs) and its average benchmark score of 2254 are close to those of its nearest rivals. For example, the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 scores 2259 (0.2% higher), and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 scores 2246 (0.4% lower). This indicates that the i5-9400 is a competent mid-range processor, but its six threads limit its ability to push frame rates beyond the 200 FPS mark in this game.

The GPU's percentile rank (65th among all GPUs) is higher than the CPU's, and its average benchmark score of 20282 is competitive with its nearest rivals. The RTX 2070 SUPER is only 1% slower than the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M and 1.5% slower than the Intel Arc A750. This suggests that the GPU is the stronger component in this pairing, which is consistent with the observed performance scaling. The combo rank of 2150 reflects a system that is well-balanced for 1440p and 4K gaming but is held back by the CPU at 1080p, where other combinations with stronger processors would rank higher.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average frame rates are 215 FPS (Low), 180 FPS (Medium), 161 FPS (High), and 142 FPS (Ultra). The Medium preset also shows a minimum FPS of 153 and a maximum of 207, indicating tight frame pacing. The spread from Low to Ultra is 73 FPS, which is the largest across all resolutions, reinforcing the CPU bottleneck at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the average frame rates are 162 FPS (Low), 135 FPS (Medium), 121 FPS (High), and 107 FPS (Ultra). The Medium preset shows a minimum of 115 FPS and a maximum of 156 FPS. The performance drop from 1080p is consistent, with the GPU becoming more of a limiting factor as pixel count rises. The system remains highly playable, with even the Ultra preset staying above 100 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the average frame rates are 108 FPS (Low), 91 FPS (Medium), 81 FPS (High), and 72 FPS (Ultra). The Medium preset shows a minimum of 77 FPS and a maximum of 104 FPS. This is the only resolution where the Ultra preset drops below the 80 FPS mark, but it remains above 60 FPS, ensuring a smooth experience. The data shows that the combo can handle 4K gaming, but the settings have a more pronounced effect on performance at this resolution.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the "High" settings preset offers the best balance of visual fidelity and performance for this combo. At 2560x1440, it delivers an average of 121 FPS, which is well above the 100 FPS threshold for high-refresh-rate monitors. At 3840x2160, it maintains an average of 81 FPS, which is still smooth and provides a significant visual upgrade over "Medium" without the performance hit of "Ultra."

For users with a 1080p monitor, the "Ultra" preset is the recommended choice, as it still achieves an average of 142 FPS. This is high enough to take advantage of most 144Hz displays, and the visual improvements over "High" are worth the 19 FPS cost, given the system's headroom at this resolution. The "Medium" preset at 1080p (180 FPS) is only necessary for those seeking maximum frame rates on a 240Hz display, as the difference between Medium and High is 19 FPS.

For 4K gaming, the "High" preset is the clear recommendation, as it provides an 81 FPS average, which is 9 FPS higher than "Medium" (91 FPS) is actually lower than High, so the data shows High is the sweet spot. The "Ultra" preset at 72 FPS is playable but offers diminishing returns for the 9 FPS drop from High. The "Low" preset at 4K (108 FPS) is not recommended, as the visual degradation is not worth the performance gain on a large 4K display. Ultimately, the data indicates that the "High" preset is the optimal setting across all resolutions for this CPU-GPU combination, providing a high-quality experience without sacrificing smoothness.