Dave The Diver

The Intel Core i7-12700KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 delivers a remarkably fluid experience in Dave The Diver, a game that clearly favors high frame rates over raw graphical fidelity. The measured data shows this combination is capable of pushing well beyond standard display refresh rates at both 1080p and 1440p, with the performance scaling predictably as resolution increases. This analysis breaks down the specific frame rates, the role of each component, and how this pairing stacks up against other tested configurations in the database.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate data reveals a clear and consistent pattern of performance degradation as resolution climbs from 1080p to 4K. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 247 FPS, which drops to 186 FPS at 2560x1440, and further to 124 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 50% reduction in frame rate from 1080p to 4K at Low settings, indicating that the GPU is being progressively taxed by the increased pixel count.

The scaling behavior shifts slightly when looking at High settings. The transition from 1080p (184 FPS) to 1440p (139 FPS) results in a 24.5% performance drop, while moving from 1440p to 4K (93 FPS) shows a 33.1% reduction. This steeper decline at higher resolutions suggests the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck as pixel count increases, which is typical for a game with modest CPU requirements. The difference between Low and High settings at 4K is 31 FPS (124 vs 93), indicating that the GPU has headroom to spare even at the highest pixel density.

At Medium settings, the frame rates sit at 207 FPS (1080p), 155 FPS (1440p), and 104 FPS (4K). The Ultra preset, which is the most demanding, shows 163 FPS at 1080p, 123 FPS at 1440p, and 82 FPS at 4K. Notably, the gap between Medium and Ultra at 1080p is 44 FPS, while at 4K it narrows to 22 FPS. This compression of the settings delta at higher resolutions further confirms that the RTX 5060 is the limiting factor at 4K, while at 1080p the CPU and memory subsystem have more influence on the final frame rate.

The minimum FPS data, available only for Medium settings, reinforces this analysis. At 1080p, the minimum is 176 FPS, dropping to 132 FPS at 1440p, and 89 FPS at 4K. These minimums are all well above the 60 FPS threshold, suggesting that even in the most demanding scenes, the system maintains excellent frame pacing without significant stutters. The spread between average and minimum FPS at each resolution is relatively narrow, indicating consistent performance rather than sporadic dips.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700KF 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. In Dave The Diver, this CPU proves more than sufficient, as evidenced by the high frame rates even at 1080p where CPU overhead is typically more pronounced. The processor's single-thread performance, reflected in a 3DMark single-thread score of 1043 and a Cinebench R20 single-core score of 1709, is strong enough to avoid bottlenecking the GPU in this title.

The CPU's multi-threaded capabilities, while not heavily utilized by this game, are substantial. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 28838 and a Geekbench multi-core score of 14367 place it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs tested. However, the benchmark results indicate that Dave The Diver is not a heavily threaded workload, as the frame rates remain consistently high regardless of resolution, suggesting the game's main thread is the primary CPU constraint.

Interestingly, the CPU's nearest rivals in the database include the Intel Core i7-13700T (avg score 35403, delta -0.1%), the Intel Core i5-13600T (avg score 35305, delta 0.2%), and the Intel Core i7-12700K (avg score 35287, delta 0.2%). The 12700KF sits almost exactly between these processors, with its average benchmark score of 35365 being effectively identical to the 13700T. This suggests that in CPU-bound scenarios, users would see negligible differences between these chips, though in this game the CPU is rarely the limiting factor.

The L3 cache of 25 MB shared across the cores helps with data locality, which is beneficial for the game's asset streaming and scene management. The 10 nm process node and 125 W TDP indicate a power-efficient design that maintains high clocks without excessive heat output, though the data shows the CPU's performance is more than adequate for the frame rates observed.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the database of tested combinations for Dave The Diver, this specific pairing of the i7-12700KF and RTX 5060 ranks 1639 out of 3710 total combos. This places it in the 55.8th percentile of all tested systems, meaning it outperforms more than half of the combinations tested while being surpassed by a significant portion of higher-end configurations. Given the frame rates observed, this ranking is logical: the combo delivers high FPS at all resolutions but is not at the extreme top tier where systems with more powerful GPUs or newer CPUs reside.

The ranking of 1639 out of 3710 indicates that while this is a solid mid-to-upper-tier configuration, it is not pushing the absolute limits of the game's engine. The frame rates at 4K Ultra (82 FPS) and 1440p Ultra (123 FPS) are excellent for typical monitor usage, but systems with higher-ranked GPUs would likely achieve even higher numbers. The data suggests that this combo is well-balanced for 1440p gaming, where it delivers over 120 FPS on the Ultra preset, and remains playable at 4K with settings adjusted.

When compared to other combos in the database, the 12700KF's CPU performance is not the limiting factor in the ranking. The GPU's 72nd percentile ranking among all GPUs is lower than the CPU's 85th percentile, indicating that the RTX 5060 is the more significant bottleneck for overall combo ranking. Upgrading to a more powerful GPU would likely yield a larger improvement in the combo rank than upgrading the CPU.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080: The frame rates at this resolution are exceptionally high, with the Low preset reaching an average of 247 FPS. Medium produces 207 FPS on average with a minimum of 176 FPS and a maximum of 238 FPS. High settings yield 184 FPS, while Ultra drops to 163 FPS. These numbers indicate that at 1080p, the system is capable of driving high-refresh-rate monitors (144Hz or even 240Hz) with ease, even on the most demanding Ultra preset. The spread between Low and Ultra is 84 FPS, which is substantial but still leaves the Ultra preset well above the 144 FPS threshold.

2560x1440: At 1440p, the performance remains strong. Low settings average 186 FPS, Medium averages 155 FPS with a minimum of 132 FPS and a maximum of 179 FPS, High averages 139 FPS, and Ultra averages 123 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is noticeable but not drastic, with the Ultra preset still maintaining an average above 120 FPS. This makes 1440p the sweet spot for this combination, as it delivers high frame rates while taking advantage of the increased pixel density for better visual clarity. The minimum FPS of 132 at Medium settings suggests that even in demanding scenes, the system stays well above the 100 FPS mark.

3840x2160: At 4K, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor. Low settings average 124 FPS, Medium averages 104 FPS with a minimum of 89 FPS and a maximum of 120 FPS, High averages 93 FPS, and Ultra averages 82 FPS. While these numbers are lower than at lower resolutions, they are still perfectly playable on a 60Hz or 120Hz 4K display. The Ultra preset at 82 FPS is particularly noteworthy, as it demonstrates that the RTX 5060 can handle 4K gaming without requiring significant compromises in visual quality. The minimum FPS of 89 at Medium settings indicates that even the most demanding sequences remain fluid.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture using a 5 nm process at TSMC, with a die size of 181 mm² and 21,900 million transistors. The GPU operates at a base clock of 2280 MHz and a boost clock of 2497 MHz, with memory running at 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective). The 8 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 128-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s, which is sufficient for this game's texture and asset requirements.

The GPU's 3840 shading units, 120 TMUs, and 48 ROPs deliver a pixel rate of 119.9 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 299.6 GTexel/s. The FP32 performance of 19.18 TFLOPS is the key metric for rasterized gaming workloads like Dave The Diver. The 30 RT cores and 120 tensor cores are present but have minimal impact on this title, as the game does not heavily utilize ray tracing or DLSS features. The GPU's TDP of 145 W with a suggested PSU of 300 W indicates efficient power draw for the performance level.

The benchmark results show that the RTX 5060 scores 20891 in PassMark G3D, placing it in the 72nd percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals in the database include the AMD Radeon 860M (avg score 26401, delta -0.3%), NVIDIA GeForce MX550 (avg score 26421, delta -0.3%), and AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary (avg score 26553, delta -0.8%). Interestingly, these rivals have slightly higher average scores, with the RTX 5060 trailing by less than 1%. However, the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT (avg score 26011, delta 1.2%) is the only rival that the RTX 5060 outperforms, suggesting that in synthetic benchmarks, the 5060 is competitive with but not clearly superior to these alternatives.

The GPU's role in Dave The Diver is primarily defined by the resolution scaling observed. At 1080p, the GPU has enough headroom to push frame rates well above 200 FPS on lower presets, while at 4K, it is clearly the bottleneck. The 8 GB VRAM is adequate for this game, as the asset sizes are not particularly demanding, and the 448 GB/s bandwidth ensures that texture streaming does not cause stutters or frame drops. The GPU's performance at 4K Ultra (82 FPS) demonstrates that it is a capable 4K gaming solution for less demanding titles like this one.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU/GPU combo in Dave The Diver?*

A: The data shows that 2560x1440 is the optimal resolution, with the Ultra preset achieving an average of 123 FPS and Medium reaching 155 FPS. This provides a balance between visual quality and high frame rates, as the system maintains over 120 FPS on the most demanding settings.

Q: Can this system run the game at 4K with playable frame rates?

A: Yes, at 3840x2160 the Ultra preset averages 82 FPS, while High averages 93 FPS and Medium averages 104 FPS. Even the minimum FPS at Medium settings (89 FPS) is well above the 60 FPS threshold, making 4K playable without needing to lower settings drastically.

Q: How much performance is lost when switching from Low to Ultra settings?

A: At 1080p, the drop from Low to Ultra is 84 FPS (247 to 163 FPS). At 1440p, the drop is 63 FPS (186 to 123 FPS). At 4K, the drop narrows to 42 FPS (124 to 82 FPS), indicating that the GPU becomes more of a bottleneck at higher resolutions, reducing the performance impact of settings changes.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: At 1080p, the CPU has more influence, as the frame rates are very high (up to 247 FPS). At 4K, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor, as the performance scales down significantly with resolution. The CPU's 85th percentile ranking compared to the GPU's 72nd percentile confirms that the GPU is the weaker component in this pairing.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested systems?

A: This combination ranks 1639 out of 3710 tested combos for Dave The Diver, placing it in the upper half of all configurations. The ranking reflects the GPU's mid-tier position, as the CPU is more than capable of feeding the GPU at all resolutions.

Q: What are the minimum frame rates like on Medium settings?

A: The Medium preset has recorded minimum FPS values of 176 at 1080p, 132 at 1440p, and 89 at 4K. These minimums indicate that the system maintains consistent performance without major frame drops, even during demanding scenes.