Dave The Diver

Dave The Diver is not a demanding title, and the benchmark results for the Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 confirm that this combination delivers frame rates far beyond what the game requires at every tested setting and resolution. The data shows an average of 160.2 FPS at 1080p Ultra, which is the lowest measured figure at that resolution, and the combo climbs to 222.2 FPS at 1080p Low. This pairing sits at rank 830 out of 1626 tested combos, placing it in the upper-middle portion of the database, but the absolute performance is high enough that the ranking reflects the strength of the competition rather than any weakness in this specific setup.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a six-core, six-thread processor from the Coffee Lake architecture, running at a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. It has 9 MB of shared L3 cache, with 64 KB of L1 and 256 KB of L2 per core, and supports DDR4 memory over a dual-channel bus with 42.7 GB/s of bandwidth. These specifications are modest by modern standards, but they are entirely sufficient for a game like Dave The Diver, which is an Adventure title that does not rely on heavy multi-threaded workloads. The CPU's benchmark scores reflect its mid-range positioning: it achieves 7969 points in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 1125 points in single-core, with an average benchmark score of 2305 across all tests. This places it at the 50th percentile among all CPUs, meaning it sits exactly at the median of the database.

The nearest rivals in the CPU benchmark database are the Intel Core i3-10305, which scores an average of 2300 and is 0.2% behind, and the Intel Core i7-8809G, which scores 2319 and is 0.6% ahead. The i5-9400 is effectively tied with these parts, indicating that its computational power is neither a strength nor a weakness in this context. In Dave The Diver, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic, and the measured FPS data shows that even at 1080p Low, where the CPU would be most likely to bottleneck a fast GPU, the system still produces 222.2 FPS. This suggests that the i5-9400's six physical cores and 4.10 GHz boost clock are more than adequate for the game's demands, and the CPU is not the limiting factor in any of the tested configurations.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 is the dominant component in this pairing, featuring 8 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its Blackwell 2.0 architecture includes 3840 shading units, 120 texture mapping units, and 48 raster output pipelines, with base and boost clocks of 2280 MHz and 2497 MHz respectively. The GPU's compute capabilities are substantial, with 19.18 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and a texture rate of 299.6 GTexel/s. It achieves a Passmark G3D score of 20891 and a Geekbench OpenCL score of 120785, with an average benchmark score of 30109, placing it at the 73rd percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals in the database are the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT, which scores 30097 and is effectively tied at 0% delta, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Mobile, which scores 29928 and is 0.6% behind.

The RTX 5060's 8 GB of VRAM is a key consideration for higher resolutions, but the measured FPS data shows that even at 4K Ultra, the game runs at 80.1 FPS, which is well within playable territory. The GPU's memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s is sufficient to handle the texture loads of Dave The Diver at 4K, and the fact that the 4K High setting produces 89.7 FPS while 4K Low reaches 121.6 FPS indicates that the GPU is scaling predictably with settings changes. The RTX 5060 is clearly the primary driver of performance in this combo, and its high benchmark percentile suggests that it is a capable part for this game and likely for more demanding titles as well.

FAQ

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-9400 a bottleneck for the RTX 5060 in Dave The Diver?

A: No. The measured FPS at 1080p Low is 222.2, and at 1080p Ultra it is 160.2, both of which are extremely high. If the CPU were a bottleneck, the frame rates would be capped at a lower value, but the data shows no such limitation.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Dave The Diver?

A: The 2560x1440 resolution offers a strong balance, with 141 FPS at High settings and 120.8 FPS at Ultra. This provides high frame rates while taking advantage of the GPU's capabilities beyond 1080p, and 4K is also playable at 89.7 FPS on High.

Q: How does the RTX 5060 compare to its nearest rival, the RX 7700 XT?

A: The RTX 5060 has an average benchmark score of 30109, while the RX 7700 XT scores 30097, a delta of 0%. They are statistically identical in synthetic benchmarks, but in this game, the RTX 5060's measured FPS is high across all settings.

Q: Does the CPU's single-core performance matter for this game?

A: The i5-9400 scores 1125 in Cinebench R23 single-core, which is adequate for an Adventure game. The measured results show that the game runs at 183.3 FPS at 1080p High, indicating that single-core performance is not a limiting factor.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested combinations?

A: The combo is ranked 830 out of 1626 total combos, placing it just above the median. This rank is influenced by the CPU's mid-range standing, but the actual game performance is far above what is needed for smooth gameplay.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Dave The Diver?

A: Yes. At 4K High, the average FPS is 89.7, and at 4K Ultra it drops to 80.1. Both are above the 60 FPS threshold for comfortable play, so 4K is a viable option with this setup.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of how this combo performs across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the lowest resolution tested, the system produces 222.2 FPS on Low, 204.8 FPS on Medium, 183.3 FPS on High, and 160.2 FPS on Ultra. The difference between Low and Ultra is 62 FPS, or a 28% drop, which shows that the GPU is handling the increased workload efficiently without any major performance cliffs. At 2560x1440, the frame rates are still very high: 184.7 FPS on Low, 154.8 FPS on Medium, 141 FPS on High, and 120.8 FPS on Ultra. The drop from 1080p Low to 1440p Low is 37.5 FPS, indicating a resolution scaling factor that is consistent with a GPU-bound workload.

At 3840x2160, the highest resolution tested, the performance remains playable but drops significantly. The system achieves 121.6 FPS on Low, 102.7 FPS on Medium, 89.7 FPS on High, and 80.1 FPS on Ultra. The gap between 1080p Ultra and 4K Ultra is 80.1 FPS, exactly half the 160.2 FPS at the lower resolution, which is a substantial but expected reduction given the fourfold increase in pixel count. The data shows that every setting preset at every resolution produces an average FPS above 80, which means that this combo never falls below the threshold for smooth gameplay, even at the most demanding configuration.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K reveals that the RTX 5060 is the primary limiting component in this system. At Low settings, the frame rate falls from 222.2 FPS at 1080p to 184.7 FPS at 1440p and then to 121.6 FPS at 4K, representing a 45% reduction from the lowest to highest resolution. At Ultra settings, the drop is from 160.2 FPS at 1080p to 120.8 FPS at 1440p and 80.1 FPS at 4K, a 50% reduction. These scaling patterns are typical of a GPU-bound scenario, where the CPU's performance is sufficient at all resolutions, and the GPU's rendering workload increases proportionally with pixel count.

The fact that the FPS at 1080p Low is 222.2, which is near the refresh rate limits of most monitors, suggests that neither component is being pushed to its absolute limit at lower resolutions. However, the consistent scaling across all settings indicates that the GPU's memory bandwidth and compute resources are the determining factors as resolution increases. The i5-9400's role is to provide enough draw call throughput and game logic processing, and the data shows that it does not introduce any bottlenecks that would cause the FPS to plateau at a fixed value regardless of resolution. This is a healthy sign for the combo, as it means the user can adjust resolution and settings to target their preferred frame rate without worrying about CPU limitations.

Settings Recommendations

The best experience per the measured rows is to run the game at 1440p with High settings, which produces 141 FPS. This configuration offers a balance between visual fidelity and performance that is superior to 1080p Ultra, which runs at 160.2 FPS but with a lower resolution. The 1440p High preset is 21 FPS faster than 1440p Ultra, while the visual difference between High and Ultra in an Adventure game like Dave The Diver is likely minimal. For users with a 144Hz monitor, 1440p High is the ideal choice, as it stays near the refresh rate ceiling. For those who prefer 4K, the High preset at 89.7 FPS is the best option, as it provides a smooth experience without the 9.6 FPS penalty of Ultra settings.

At 1080p, the Medium preset at 204.8 FPS is recommended for competitive play or high refresh rate displays, as it is 21.5 FPS faster than High and only 17.4 FPS slower than Low, making it the sweet spot for performance without sacrificing too much visual quality. The Ultra preset at 1080p is not necessary, as the game's art style does not benefit significantly from the highest settings, and the 160.2 FPS result is still excellent but lower than the alternatives. In all cases, the measured data shows that this combo can comfortably exceed 60 FPS at any resolution and settings combination, so the recommendation is to prioritize resolution and visual quality over raw frame rate, with 1440p High being the standout choice.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo of the Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 ranks 830 out of 1626 tested combinations in Dave The Diver, placing it just above the median of the database. This rank is a reflection of the CPU's mid-range standing, as the i5-9400 sits at the 50th percentile among all CPUs, while the RTX 5060 is at the 73rd percentile among GPUs. The GPU is clearly the stronger component in this pairing, and the measured FPS data confirms that the overall performance is high, with no configuration falling below 80 FPS.

The rank of 830 suggests that there are many combos with faster CPUs that achieve higher frame rates in this game, but the practical difference is small because Dave The Diver is not a demanding title. The data shows that this combo delivers 80.1 FPS at 4K Ultra, which is a playable result, and 222.2 FPS at 1080p Low, which is excellent. The ranking is a useful reference point, but the absolute performance is what matters most, and this combo performs well above the threshold for a smooth experience in every measured scenario. The i5-9400's six cores and the RTX 5060's 8 GB of VRAM combine to provide a balanced system that excels in this game, even if its percentile rank does not reflect the high absolute frame rates.