Dave The Diver

Dave The Diver presents an interesting scaling profile for the Intel Core i7-12700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 combination. The measured frames per second (FPS) data shows a clear progression as resolution increases, but the performance drops are not uniform across all settings. At 1080p with Ultra settings, the combo delivers 115.2 FPS, which is a strong result for a game of this genre. Moving to 1440p at the same Ultra preset, the average FPS falls to 88.9, a reduction of 26.3 FPS from the 1080p figure. The jump to 4K at Ultra is more demanding, resulting in 58.5 FPS, which is a further drop of 30.4 FPS from the 1440p result. This pattern indicates that the rendering load is scaling significantly with pixel count, pushing the graphics card harder as resolution increases.

Resolution Scaling

The data reveals that the RTX 2060 is the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions, but the CPU still holds its own at 1080p. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 178.8 FPS, which is exceptionally high and suggests that the system is not heavily constrained by the processor in lighter scenes. When the resolution is increased to 1440p with Low settings, the average FPS drops to 135.8, a 24% decrease from the 1080p figure. This is a substantial drop, but the frame rate remains very playable. At 4K with Low settings, the average FPS is 91.8, which is another significant reduction of 44 FPS from the 1440p result. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p at Low settings is a 43 FPS difference, while moving from 1440p to 4K costs 44 FPS, showing that the GPU is being stressed more as resolution climbs.

The story changes when looking at the High preset. At 1080p, the combo produces 136.1 FPS, which is still a high frame rate. At 1440p High, the average FPS is 98.9, a drop of 37.2 FPS from 1080p. Moving to 4K High yields 66.1 FPS, a further reduction of 32.8 FPS from 1440p. The 4K High result is notably lower than the 1440p Low result, which highlights how much the visual fidelity settings matter alongside resolution. The gap between 1080p and 4K at High settings is 70 FPS, which is a significant performance hit. This data suggests that the RTX 2060's 6 GB of VRAM and its compute capabilities are being taxed heavily at 4K, especially with higher quality textures and effects.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is a Turing architecture part with a base clock of 1365 MHz and a boost clock of 1680 MHz. Its memory configuration includes 6 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s. These specifications are crucial for understanding the 4K performance. The 6 GB VRAM capacity is likely a bottleneck at 4K Ultra, where texture data can exceed that limit, forcing the system to manage memory more aggressively. The benchmark results support this, as the 4K Ultra average of 58.5 FPS is the lowest measured in the entire set. The GPU's raw compute power, rated at 6.451 TFLOPS FP32, is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but the 4K results show it struggling to maintain high frame rates with the most demanding settings.

The GPU's performance relative to its peers is modest. Its average benchmark score is 16074, which places it in the 58th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 7600S, which has a score of 15996 and a deltaPct of 0.5, and the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M and Radeon Pro 5700, both with scores of 16351 and a deltaPct of -1.7. This indicates that the RTX 2060 is positioned in a competitive mid-range segment. In Dave The Diver, its performance is adequate for 1080p and 1440p at higher settings, but it is not a 4K powerhouse. The 4K High result of 66.1 FPS is technically playable, but the 4K Ultra result of 58.5 FPS shows the card is at its limits when all features are enabled.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides a clear picture of which settings offer the best balance. At 1080p, the Ultra preset delivers 115.2 FPS, which is excellent for a smooth experience. The High preset at 1080p offers 136.1 FPS, which is even higher, but the visual difference between High and Ultra may be noticeable. For players with 1440p monitors, the High preset at 98.9 FPS is a strong choice, offering a good balance of quality and performance. The Medium preset at 1440p yields 113.8 FPS, which is a significant improvement over High and might be preferable for those seeking higher frame rates without a major visual downgrade. The 4K results are more constrained. The High preset at 4K averages 66.1 FPS, which is acceptable, but the Low preset at 91.8 FPS provides a smoother experience. The Ultra preset at 4K, at 58.5 FPS, is the least desirable option, as the frame rate dips close to the 60 FPS threshold where stuttering becomes more apparent.

The data suggests that the best experience for this combo is at 1440p High or 1080p Ultra. The 1440p High setting provides a resolution upgrade over 1080p while maintaining a frame rate above 90 FPS. For those with 1080p displays, the Ultra preset is the way to go, as the high frame rate ensures minimal input lag and smooth motion. The Medium preset at 1080p, which delivers 150.8 FPS, is also a viable option, but it sacrifices some visual quality for a frame rate that most displays cannot even show. The 4K Ultra preset is not recommended, as the performance hit is substantial and the visual improvement over High is not likely to justify the frame rate drop.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the Intel Core i7-12700K and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 ranks 1303 out of 1626 tested combos in Dave The Diver. This places it in the lower-middle portion of the performance hierarchy. The rank indicates that while this combo is capable of running the game, many other hardware pairings achieve higher average frame rates. The combo's position is likely influenced by the GPU's 58th percentile performance rating, which is below the average for all GPUs. The CPU, on the other hand, ranks in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, showing that it is a high-performing processor that is not the bottleneck in this configuration.

The ranking suggests that for this game, the GPU is the more significant constraint. A combo with a more powerful GPU would likely rank higher, as the CPU has ample headroom. The CPU's benchmark scores, such as the Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 29241 and the single-core score of 4128, are strong, and its 3DMark 16-thread score is 9276. These figures indicate that the i7-12700K can handle the game's logical thread demands without issue. The fact that the combo is ranked 1303 out of 1626 means that 323 other tested pairings performed worse, but a majority of 1302 combos performed better, underscoring the GPU's limitations in this title.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700K is a 12-core processor with 20 threads, featuring a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. This is a high-end desktop CPU with a 25 MB shared L3 cache and support for both DDR4 and DDR5 memory. Its processing power is more than sufficient for Dave The Diver, which is an adventure game that likely does not require extreme multi-threaded performance. The CPU's single-thread performance is particularly relevant, as many game engines are still sensitive to single-core speed. The Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4128 is excellent, indicating that the CPU can handle the game's primary simulation and game logic threads efficiently.

The CPU's role in this combo is to feed the GPU with enough data to keep it busy. At 1080p, the high frame rates of 178.8 FPS on Low settings and 136.1 FPS on High settings suggest that the CPU is not a limiting factor at this resolution. The bottleneck shifts to the GPU as resolution increases, with the 4K results showing a clear GPU limitation. The CPU's nearest rivals in terms of average benchmark score include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 with a deltaPct of -0.3 and the Intel Core i7-13700T with a deltaPct of 0.6, showing that it is well-matched with its direct competitors. In this game, the CPU can easily keep up with the RTX 2060, and the data shows that the combo's overall performance is dictated by the graphics card's capabilities, especially at higher resolutions and settings.