Dave The Diver

Dave The Diver, a 2023 Adventure title, presents an interesting benchmark case for the Intel Core i7-12700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 combination. The data reflects a system that is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions, yet demonstrates significant headroom at 1080p where the CPU begins to play a more substantial role. This analysis breaks down the measured performance across three resolutions and four settings presets, interpreting the scores against the broader test pool of 3,710 combos.

Resolution Scaling

The performance delta from 1080p to 4K is stark and clearly identifies the limiting component at each step. At 1080p High, the combo delivers 206 FPS, but moving to 1440p High reduces that to 131 FPS, a 36% drop. The scaling continues to 4K High, where the average FPS falls to 69, representing a 47% decline from the 1440p figure and a 67% decline from 1080p. This pattern is consistent across all settings presets.

This scaling curve is the signature of a GPU-limited scenario at higher resolutions. The RTX 4080 is being tasked with exponentially more pixel work as resolution increases, and the frame rate drops accordingly. The fact that the 4K Ultra preset (51 FPS) is less than half the speed of the 1080p Ultra preset (155 FPS) underscores the massive fill-rate demand at 3840x2160.

Conversely, the relatively modest drop from 1080p to 1440p (206 to 131 FPS at High) suggests that the CPU is still able to feed the GPU adequately at 1440p, but the GPU is starting to become the bottleneck. At 1080p, the high frame rates (206 FPS High, 284 FPS Low) indicate that the CPU is likely nearing its limit in this game, as the GPU has ample headroom to render frames faster if the processor could supply them. The data shows that the RTX 4080 is the primary constraint for 4K and even 1440p performance, while the i7-12700K becomes increasingly relevant at 1080p.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is the dominant factor in this combo's gaming performance. Its specifications include 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s. The GPU's boost clock is rated at 2505 MHz, with a base clock of 2205 MHz. This memory configuration and clock speed are directly reflected in the benchmark results, particularly at 4K where the 16 GB frame buffer prevents memory capacity from becoming a limiting factor.

The GPU's performance percentile of 86 indicates it ranks higher than the vast majority of all tested GPUs. In the measured data, the RTX 4080 demonstrates its capability by maintaining playable frame rates even at 4K Ultra (51 FPS), a setting that would cripple lesser hardware. The transition from High to Ultra at 4K costs 18 FPS (69 to 51), which is a significant drop, but the game remains technically playable. At 1440p, the GPU provides a very smooth experience, with the High preset hitting 131 FPS and Medium at 170 FPS.

The VRAM capacity is a clear asset here. With 16 GB, the RTX 4080 has substantial headroom for high-resolution textures and future content, a fact that is supported by the consistent performance across all presets without any indication of memory throttling. The GPU's compute prowess, evidenced by its 48.74 TFLOPS FP32 rating, translates directly to the high frame rates observed in this DirectX-based title.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the database of 3,710 tested combinations, this specific pairing of the i7-12700K and RTX 4080 achieves a rank of 1,636. This places it in the 44th percentile of all combos (1636/3710), meaning that 44% of tested systems perform better in Dave The Diver, while 56% perform worse. This is a strong result, but it is not at the absolute top tier.

The rank is likely tempered by the CPU's performance relative to newer processors. The i7-12700K has an average benchmark score of 35,287, placing it in the 84th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i5-13600T (35,305, -0.1% delta) and the Intel Core i7-12700KF (35,365, -0.2% delta), indicating that it is essentially on par with its direct peers in synthetic tests. However, the combination's overall rank suggests that other systems with faster CPUs or similar GPUs are able to achieve higher frame rates, particularly at lower resolutions where the CPU bottleneck is more pronounced.

The GPU itself is in the 86th percentile, which is very high. The nearest rival to the RTX 4080 is the RTX 4080 SUPER, with a delta of 0.1%, meaning they perform almost identically in synthetic benchmarks. The fact that the combo rank (44th percentile) is lower than both the CPU (84th) and GPU (86th) percentile scores indicates that the pairing is not perfectly optimized for this specific game, likely due to the CPU's 12-core, 20-thread configuration not being fully utilized by Dave The Diver's single-threaded tendencies.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a comprehensive view of performance across all settings.

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: 284 FPS average
• Medium: 264 FPS average (min 225, max 304)
• High: 206 FPS average
• Ultra: 155 FPS average

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: 207 FPS average
• Medium: 170 FPS average (min 144, max 195)
• High: 131 FPS average
• Ultra: 98 FPS average

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: 109 FPS average
• Medium: 89 FPS average (min 76, max 103)
• High: 69 FPS average
• Ultra: 51 FPS average

The data shows a clear hierarchy. At 1080p, even the Ultra preset achieves 155 FPS, which is excellent for high-refresh-rate monitors. The Medium preset at 264 FPS is exceptionally high, indicating that the CPU is the limiting factor here, as the GPU could likely render more frames if the processor could keep up. At 1440p, the High preset at 131 FPS is the sweet spot for smooth gameplay, while Ultra drops to 98 FPS. The 4K results are more demanding, with only the Low preset (109 FPS) and Medium preset (89 FPS) exceeding the 60 FPS threshold. The High preset (69 FPS) is playable, but Ultra (51 FPS) dips below the ideal 60 FPS mark.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal preset depends on the target resolution and refresh rate.

For 1080p, the High preset at 206 FPS is recommended as it provides a significant visual upgrade over Medium (264 FPS) while maintaining a frame rate that far exceeds the refresh rate of most monitors. The Ultra preset at 155 FPS is also viable for those who prioritize visual fidelity, but the 25% performance cost over High may not justify the marginal visual gains in this art style.

For 1440p, the High preset at 131 FPS is the best choice for high-refresh-rate displays (120Hz+). The Medium preset at 170 FPS is also excellent, but High offers a better balance of visual quality and speed. The Ultra preset at 98 FPS is still very smooth and is a good option for 60Hz to 100Hz monitors, but High provides a more comfortable margin for frame-time spikes.

For 4K, the Medium preset at 89 FPS is the recommended starting point, as it provides a solid, playable experience well above the 60 FPS standard. The High preset at 69 FPS is also viable for those with VRR displays, but the Medium preset offers more headroom. The Ultra preset at 51 FPS should be avoided for general gameplay, as it falls below the 60 FPS threshold and may result in noticeable stutter.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700K is a 12-core, 20-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. Its cache configuration includes an 80 KB L1 per core, a 1.25 MB L2 per core, and a 25 MB shared L3. In Dave The Diver, an Adventure title that is not heavily multithreaded, the CPU's role is primarily to maintain high frame rates at lower resolutions.

The benchmark data supports this. At 1080p, the difference between Low (284 FPS) and High (206 FPS) is 78 FPS, which is a 27% drop. This is a larger relative drop than at 4K, where the same settings change results in a 40 FPS drop (109 to 69 FPS, a 37% drop). This indicates that at 1080p, the CPU is working harder to keep up with the GPU's frame output. The CPU's single-thread performance, as measured by a 3DMark single-thread score of 1043 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1850.5, is strong but not best-in-class, which explains why it may bottleneck the RTX 4080 at very high frame rates.

The CPU's 3DMark 16-thread score of 9276 and max-thread score of 9979 show that it is capable of handling multi-threaded workloads, but Dave The Diver likely does not scale perfectly with all 20 threads. The Cinebench R23 multicore score of 19,784 confirms its strong overall compute capacity. The data suggests that while the CPU is not the primary bottleneck at 4K, it does become a limiting factor at 1080p, preventing the GPU from reaching its absolute maximum potential in this title.

FAQ

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

A: The measured average FPS at 2560x1440 with Ultra settings is 98 FPS.

Q: Does the RTX 4080's 16 GB VRAM cause any issues in this game?

A: No. The benchmark data shows consistent performance across all presets and resolutions, with no indication of memory capacity being a limiting factor, even at 4K Ultra.

Q: Is this combo better at 1080p or 4K for a high-refresh-rate monitor?

A: For 1080p, the combo is excellent, with the High preset achieving 206 FPS and Ultra achieving 155 FPS. For 4K, the performance is more moderate, with High at 69 FPS and Ultra at 51 FPS, which is not ideal for high refresh rates.

Q: How does the i7-12700K compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The i7-12700K has an average benchmark score of 35,287. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-13600T, has a score of 35,305, which is a -0.1% delta, making them effectively identical in performance.

Q: What is the best preset for a 4K 60Hz display?

A: The Medium preset at 4K, which averages 89 FPS, is recommended. It provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS and offers a better balance than the High preset (69 FPS) for consistent frame pacing.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 1080p High settings?

A: The data suggests the CPU is the limiting factor. The frame rate of 206 FPS at 1080p High is high, but the GPU's raw power, as indicated by its benchmark percentile, suggests it could render more frames if the CPU could provide them faster. The large drop to Ultra (155 FPS) further indicates CPU sensitivity at this resolution.