Dave The Diver

Dave The Diver is not a typical hardware stress test; it is a 2D adventure title with a pixel-art aesthetic, yet the benchmark data for this combination of an Intel Core i7-12700K and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 reveals how even a modest-looking game can be pushed to extreme frame rates, exposing the performance ceilings of the CPU and GPU. The combination places 846th out of 3710 tested combinations, which puts it at the 77th percentile of all results, indicating that while it is not the absolute top-tier configuration, it delivers a very strong performance that will satisfy most players. The CPU is a 12-core, 20-thread part from Intel’s Core 12th Gen family, built on the Alder Lake architecture, while the GPU is the RTX 4070, a GDDR6X-equipped card from NVIDIA’s GeForce 40-series, and together they produce results that are consistently above the 100 FPS mark in this game, even at the most demanding settings. The following sections break down the specific roles of the CPU and GPU, how the frame rate responds to resolution changes, and the exact measured figures that define this combination's performance envelope.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700K is a 12-core, 20-thread processor with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, and it is the central engine of this combination. In the context of Dave The Diver, the CPU’s role is to feed the game simulation and maintain consistent frame pacing, which becomes particularly relevant at lower resolutions and high frame rates where the CPU is more likely to be the bottleneck. The processor’s architecture is Alder Lake, a name that reflects Intel’s hybrid design of performance and efficiency cores, but from a gaming perspective, the key numbers are the 25 MB of shared L3 cache and the dual-channel memory support for both DDR4 and DDR5, which together help the CPU handle the game's data stream. The CPU’s benchmark results show a strong multi-threaded capability: a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 19784, a Geekbench multi-core score of 15790, and a Passmark multi-thread score of 34404, all of which indicate that this is a versatile processor that can handle more than just light gaming loads.

In the context of Dave The Diver, the data shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor at most settings. For example, at 1080p with Low settings, the average frame rate reaches 319 FPS, a number that far exceeds any display refresh rate, indicating that the CPU can push the game engine to its limits. The CPU’s performance percentile is 84, meaning it ranks higher than 84% of all CPUs in the database, and its average benchmark score is 35287. When compared to its nearest rivals, the Core i7-12700K sits within a narrow band: the Intel Core i5-13600T has an average score of 35305, which is a 0.1% difference, the Intel Core i7-12700KF scores 35365 (0.2% difference), the Intel Core i7-13700T scores 35403 (0.3% difference), and the Intel Core 5 213PE scores 35428 (0.4% difference). This indicates that the performance of the i7-12700K is almost identical to that of these adjacent processors, meaning that in a game like Dave The Diver, which is not heavily threaded, the CPU choice has little impact on the final frame rate because the GPU is doing most of the work at the higher resolutions and settings.

The CPU’s clock speeds are also relevant to the game’s results. The boost clock of 5.00 GHz is a high single-core frequency, which is beneficial for games that are not heavily parallelized, and Dave The Diver falls into that category. The base clock of 3.60 GHz is typical for a high-end desktop processor, and the fact that the CPU has no vCache and no efficiency issues means it can sustain high clocks under load. The 3DMark scores from the CPU tell a story of scaling: 9276 for 16 threads, 4011 for 4 threads, and 2065 for 2 threads, which shows a non-linear scaling that is expected for a game that uses a limited number of threads. The single-thread score of 1043 in 3DMark and the Passmark single-thread score of 4013 both indicate that this CPU has excellent single-core performance, which is what Dave The Diver relies on for its physical and game logic.

The CPU’s TDP is 125 watts, which is a standard figure for this class of processor, and its socket is Intel Socket 1700, which is the platform for 12th-gen parts. The integrated UHD Graphics 770 is present, but the presence of the RTX 4070 makes it irrelevant for this game, as the discrete GPU will always be used. The CPU’s memory support for DDR4 and DDR5 is dual-channel, and while the game might benefit from lower latency memory, the data does not break down frame rates by memory type, so the overall impact is not clear. The CPU's release date is November 3, 2021, and it has a launch MSRP of $409, which is a figure that is not relevant to the performance analysis. The CPU's data compression and encryption scores (Passmark 446595 and 23408) show that this is a capable general-purpose processor, but for gaming, the takeaway is that the CPU is not the limiting component in this combination.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is a high-end graphics card from the Ada Lovelace architecture, and it is the primary driver of frame rates in Dave The Diver. The card has 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, which provides a memory bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s, a figure that is more than sufficient for a game with the visual style of Dave The Diver. The GPU’s base clock is 1920 MHz and the boost clock is 2475 MHz, with a memory clock of 1313 MHz, which translates to 21 Gbps effective. The card has 5888 shading units, 184 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs, which are the core components that process the game's visuals. The RTX 4070 also has 46 ray tracing cores and 184 tensor cores, though for this game, ray tracing is not a significant factor, and the tensor cores might be used for any DLSS features, which the data does not specify.

The GPU’s performance is evident in its benchmark scores: a Passmark G3D score of 26927, a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3854, and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 174152. The card’s percentile rank is 81, indicating it is better than 81% of all GPUs, and its average benchmark score is 37648. When compared to its nearest rivals, the delta percentages are very small: the NVIDIA Tesla P4 has a score of 37628, which is 0.1% higher, the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 has 37507, which is 0.4% lower, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile has 38135, which is 1.3% lower, and the AMD Radeon PRO W6400 has 37157, which is 1.3% higher. These small differences show that the RTX 4070 is a highly consistent performer in synthetic benchmarks, and the same can be said for its in-game performance, as the data will show.

The GPU’s memory is a key factor for the game’s frame rates. At all resolution and settings, the 12 GB frame buffer is not a limit for Dave The Diver, which is a 2D game with low memory requirements. The 192-bit bus and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth are more than enough, and the card’s 5 nm process node, with 35,800 million transistors, indicates that it is a large and complex chip. The GPU’s FP32 performance is 29.15 TFLOPS, and the pixel rate is 158.4 GPixel/s, which are high numbers that allow the card to push the frame rates seen in the data. The card’s TDP is 200 W, and its suggested PSU is 550 W, but these are not performance metrics and are only relevant for system building.

In the context of Dave The Diver, the GPU's role becomes more dominant at higher resolutions. The data shows that at 4K (3840x2160) with High settings, the average frame rate is 120 FPS, and at Ultra it drops to 106 FPS. The difference between these two settings is 14 FPS, which is a clear sign that the GPU is the bottleneck at 4K, as the frame rate scales with the quality settings. The GPU’s boost clock of 2475 MHz is a high clock for a modern GPU, and it does not de-clock under load, which reflects the cooling solution, but the data does not provide temperature or clock figures during the game. The GPU’s DirectX 12 Ultimate support (12_2) ensures that the game can use modern graphics features, but the game’s visual style does not require them.

Resolution Scaling

The data shows a clear pattern in how Dave The Diver scales from 1080p to 4K, and it reveals that the GPU is the limiting factor at the higher resolutions. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the average frame rate is 238 FPS, and at Low, it is 319 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440, the High average drops to 179 FPS, and at 3840x2160, the High average is 120 FPS. This represents a decline of 59 FPS from 1080p High to 1440p High, and a further drop of 59 FPS from 1440p High to 4K High. The scaling is almost linear in terms of the number of pixels, but the frame rate does not drop proportionally to the pixel count; instead, it drops at a slower rate, indicating that the GPU is still managing to maintain high frame rates.

The limiting component is the GPU. At 1080p Low, the frame rate is 319 FPS, which is a CPU-limited scenario because the GPU is not the bottleneck; the frame rate is so high that the CPU cannot push any more frames. However, at 4K Ultra, the frame rate is 106 FPS, which is a GPU-limited scenario because the GPU is working hard to render the 3840x2160 pixel count. The data shows that the CPU is not the bottleneck at any resolution because even at 4K, the average frame rate is above 100 FPS, which is an, and the CPU’s single-thread performance is sufficient to handle the game at these frame rates. The medium settings provide the only data points with min and max FPS, and they show that the variance is relatively small: at 1080p Medium, the min is 227 FPS and the max is 307 FPS, at 1440p Medium, the min is 171 FPS and the max is 231 FPS, and at 4K Medium, the min is 114 FPS and the max is 155 FPS. This indicates that the frame pacing is consistent, with no large hitches, and the average frame rates are close to the median, which is a good sign for smooth gameplay.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-12700K and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 ranks 846th out of 3710 tested combinations in Dave The Diver. This is a percentile rank of 77.2%, meaning that it is better than 77% of all tested combinations, but it is not at the top of the chart. The highest combinations in the game likely use top-tier CPUs and GPUs, and the data shows that the frame rates at 4K Ultra are 106 FPS, which is a very high number, so the ranking position is more about the fact that there are many combinations with higher-end cards like the RTX 4090 or the newer generations. The rank is based on the measured FPS data, which is dominated by the GPU at higher resolutions, and the RTX 4070 is a high-end card but not the fastest.

The rank of 846 means that it is in the top 22.8% of all combinations, which is a very strong result. The nearest rivals for the CPU are within a 0.4% performance band, so if the CPU were swapped for the Intel Core i5-13600T, the performance would be nearly identical. The GPU’s nearest rivals are also within a 1.3% delta, so the card is consistent with its class. For the game, the data shows that the combo is capable of 4K Ultra at 106 FPS, which is a great experience for most users. The rank is not affected by the CPU’s 84th percentile or the GPU’s 81st percentile, because the game’s requirements are low, but the combination of a high-end CPU and a high-end GPU is a solid all-around system.

FAQ

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

A: The GPU is the bottleneck at 4K, as shown by the frame rate dropping from 120 FPS at High to 106 FPS at Ultra. At 1080p, the CPU is the limit, as the frame rate hits 319 FPS at Low, which is a very high value.

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1440p with Ultra settings?

A: The average frame rate is 158 FPS at 2560x1440 with Ultra settings, which is a very high frame rate for a 2D game.

Q: How much performance is lost from 1080p to 4K?

A: At High settings, the frame rate drops from 238 FPS at 1920p to 179 FPS at 2560x1440, and then to 120 FPS at 3840x2160, a total drop of 118 FPS from 1080p High to 4K High.

Q: Is the RTX 4070 a good match for the i7-12700K?

A: The data shows a strong match, as the combo ranks 846th out of 3710, and the frame rates are high across all resolutions. The CPU and GPU are both in the top 84th percentile of their respective components.

Q: What is the maximum frame rate recorded in the data?

A: The highest average frame rate is 319 FPS at 1920p with Low settings, which is the only setting that exceeds 300 FPS.

Q: Is there any variation in the frame rate?

A: The data for Medium settings shows a min and max: at 4K Medium, the min is 114 FPS and the max is 155 FPS, at 1440p Medium, the min is 171 FPS and the max is 231 FPS, and at 1080p Medium, the min is 227 FPS and the max is 307 FPS, which indicates a consistent frame pacing.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combination is as follows:

At 3840x2160 (4K):

• High: 120 FPS average
• Low: 161 FPS average
• Medium: 135 FPS average, 114 FPS min, 155 FPS max
• Ultra: 106 FPS average

At 2560x1440 (1440p):

• High: 179 FPS average
• Low: 240 FPS average
• Medium: 201 FPS average, 171 FPS min, 231 FPS max
• Ultra: 158 FPS average

At 1920x1080 (1080p):

• High: 238 FPS average
• Low: 319 FPS average
• Medium: 267 FPS average, 227 FPS min, 307 FPS max
• Ultra: 211 FPS average

The data shows that the game is highly playable at all settings and resolutions, with the lowest average being 106 FPS at 4K Ultra. The scaling from Low to Ultra is consistent: at 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 108 FPS (319 to 211), at 1440p, it is 82 FPS (240 to 158), and at 4K, it is 55 FPS (161 to 106). This indicates that the GPU is the main factor for the frame rate, as the gap between settings shrinks as the resolution increases, which is a typical pattern for a GPU-bound game. The CPU is not a limiting factor in this data, as the frame rates are all above 100 FPS, and the CPU's multi-threaded scores (Cinebench R23 multi-core 19784, Passmark multi-thread 36079) are high enough to avoid any CPU bottleneck. The combination of the 12-core i7-12700K and the 12 GB RTX 4070 is a well-balanced one for this game, offering high frame rates at all times. The data does not show any stutter or frame rate drops, which confirms the game's optimization and the hardware's capability.