Dave The Diver

# Dave The Diver — Intel Core i7-13700K + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070

The Intel Core i7-13700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 delivers an exceptionally strong showing in Dave The Diver, with measured frame rates that clear 100 FPS at every preset and resolution combination tested. The combo sits at rank 734 out of 3710 tested combinations, placing it in the top quintile of all systems in the database. The i7-13700K itself holds an 89th percentile ranking among all CPUs, while the RTX 5070 sits at the 82nd percentile among all GPUs — both are above-average parts that combine to produce a smooth, high-refresh experience in this pixel-art adventure title.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial but predictable, and the pattern reveals a system that remains GPU-bound even at lower resolutions. At High settings, the average FPS moves from 255 at 1920x1080, down to 192 at 2560x1440, and finally to 128 at 3840x2160. That represents a 24.7% loss from 1080p to 1440p, followed by a 33.3% loss from 1440p to 4K. The total scaling from 1080p to 4K is exactly a 49.8% reduction — meaning 4K delivers roughly half the frame rate of 1080p at the same High preset.

The Low preset shows a similar scaling profile, though the absolute numbers are higher. At 1920x1080 Low, the system pushes 341 FPS average. Dropping to 2560x1440 Low yields 256 FPS (a 24.9% reduction), and 3840x2160 Low lands at 172 FPS (a 32.8% reduction from 1440p). The consistency of these percentage drops across presets suggests that resolution scaling behaves predictably regardless of settings — the game's rendering load scales nearly linearly with pixel count.

Ultra settings tell the same story. The 1080p Ultra result of 225 FPS falls to 169 FPS at 1440p (24.9% lower), then to 113 FPS at 4K (33.1% lower). Medium settings follow suit: 285 FPS at 1080p, 215 FPS at 1440p, and 144 FPS at 4K. The near-identical percentage reductions across all four presets indicate that Dave The Diver's resolution scaling is consistent and that the RTX 5070's rasterization throughput is the primary limiter as pixel count rises. The i7-13700K, with its 16 cores and 24 threads, is never exposed as a bottleneck in this data — even at 1080p Low where the GPU is pushed hardest, the system still delivers 341 FPS.

GPU Role

The RTX 5070's memory configuration plays a meaningful role in these results. With 12 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 192-bit bus, the card offers 672.0 GB/s of bandwidth — ample for a game like Dave The Diver that clearly does not stress VRAM capacity at any tested setting. The base clock of 2325 MHz and boost clock of 2512 MHz are the operating frequencies that produce these frame rates; there is no evidence in the measured data of thermal throttling or clock instability affecting results.

The GPU's architecture is Blackwell 2.0, built on TSMC's 5 nm process with 31,100 million transistors on a 263 mm² die. The 6144 shading units, 192 texture mapping units, and 80 render output units provide the raw throughput needed for the high frame rates observed. The pixel rate of 201.0 GPixel/s and texture rate of 482.3 GTexel/s help explain why even the 4K Ultra preset maintains 113 FPS — the card has sufficient fill rate for this art style, which uses relatively simple geometry and 2D sprite elements rather than heavy 3D effects.

The RTX 5070's percentile ranking of 82 among all GPUs places it above most installed graphics cards, and its benchmark scores corroborate the gaming results. The PassMark G3D score of 29137 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 5077 indicate a card that performs well above the median. Interestingly, the nearest rivals in the GPU benchmark database are all AMD Radeon Pro workstation cards — the Radeon Pro 580 (0.1% ahead), Radeon Pro WX 7100 (0.8% ahead), and Radeon Pro 5300 (1.2% behind) — but those are professional-focused parts, not gaming cards. In actual game testing, the RTX 5070's 12 GB VRAM and GDDR7 bandwidth give it a decisive edge over those older workstation parts.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data makes a clear case for the Medium preset as the best overall experience. At every resolution, Medium offers a substantial frame rate uplift over High while remaining visually close to it in a game like Dave The Diver, where the art style is pixel-art based and the difference between High and Medium is less perceptible than in photorealistic titles. At 1920x1080, Medium delivers 285 FPS average versus 255 FPS on High — a 11.8% improvement. At 2560x1440, the gap widens to 215 FPS versus 192 FPS (12.0% improvement). At 3840x2160, Medium hits 144 FPS versus 128 FPS on High (12.5% improvement).

The Medium preset also has the only complete min/max data in the measured results, showing 242-328 FPS at 1080p, 182-247 FPS at 1440p, and 122-165 FPS at 4K. This consistency suggests Medium produces stable frame pacing without the occasional dips that might occur at higher presets.

Ultra is the only preset that dips below 120 FPS at 4K, with an average of 113 FPS. While that is still playable, the 12.5% jump to Medium's 144 FPS at 4K makes Ultra hard to justify unless visual fidelity is the absolute priority. Low settings, conversely, offer the highest frame rates — 341 FPS at 1080p, 256 FPS at 1440p, and 172 FPS at 4K — but the visual compromise in a game with hand-drawn art is likely not worth the extra frames when Medium already delivers 144 FPS at 4K.

For players with high-refresh monitors, the data suggests Medium at 2560x1440 is the sweet spot: 215 FPS average comfortably exceeds 144 Hz and 165 Hz refresh rates, while maintaining better visual quality than Low. At 4K, Medium's 144 FPS average is ideal for 144 Hz displays, and the 122 FPS minimum ensures no significant dips below that threshold.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 734 out of 3710 tested combinations places this system in the 80.2nd percentile of all CPU+GPU pairings tested in Dave The Diver. That means roughly 80% of tested combinations score lower, and only about 20% perform better. Given that these are all measured results from real hardware combinations, this is a strong showing for a mid-to-high-end desktop pairing.

The i7-13700K's individual CPU benchmark scores provide context for why this combo performs so well. The Cinebench R23 multicore score of 30745 and single-core score of 2116 indicate a processor with both high multi-threaded throughput and excellent single-thread performance — the latter being particularly relevant for a game like Dave The Diver that may rely on a primary game thread. The 3DMark max threads score of 12412 and single thread score of 1136 reinforce this picture. The CPU's nearest rivals in the benchmark database are all within 0.5% in average score: the AMD Ryzen 9 5900 (0.2% lower), AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 (0.3% lower), AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX (0.5% higher), and Intel Xeon w3-2535 (0.5% higher). This tight clustering shows the i7-13700K is competitive with the best CPUs from both AMD and Intel's own workstation line.

The RTX 5070's nearest rivals are all less relevant to gaming performance, as noted earlier. The GPU's 82nd percentile ranking means it outperforms the vast majority of installed graphics cards, and its combination of 12 GB GDDR7 memory and 672.0 GB/s bandwidth is more than sufficient for Dave The Diver's requirements. The card's boost clock of 2512 MHz is the frequency that sustains these frame rates, and the 250 W TDP suggests it does so without excessive power draw.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Dave The Diver at 4K with a 144 Hz monitor?

A: Yes, at Medium settings the system achieves 144 FPS average at 3840x2160, with a 122 FPS minimum. At High settings it drops to 128 FPS average, which still exceeds 120 Hz but may dip below 144 Hz.

Q: What is the best resolution for competitive play or maximum frame rates?

A: At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system delivers 341 FPS average, which is the highest measured result. Medium settings at 1080p still achieve 285 FPS average, making it a strong choice if you want both high frame rates and better visuals.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its closest rivals?

A: The i7-13700K scores within 0.5% of the AMD Ryzen 9 5900, AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375, AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX, and Intel Xeon w3-2535 in average benchmark score. Its 89th percentile ranking among all CPUs places it above most processors.

Q: Is the RTX 5070's 12 GB VRAM sufficient for this game?

A: The measured data shows no VRAM-related performance issues at any resolution or preset. Dave The Diver's pixel-art style is not VRAM-intensive, and 12 GB of GDDR7 memory is more than enough for the highest settings at 4K.

Q: What frame rates can I expect at 2560x1440 on Ultra?

A: The measured average is 169 FPS at 2560x1440 Ultra, which is 24.9% lower than the 225 FPS at 1080p Ultra. This remains well above 144 Hz, making 1440p Ultra a viable option for high-refresh gaming.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested systems?

A: It ranks 734th out of 3710 tested combinations, placing it in the top 20% of all systems tested in Dave The Diver. This is an above-average result driven by both the CPU's and GPU's strong individual performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates across all presets. Low settings average 341 FPS, Medium averages 285 FPS with a minimum of 242 and maximum of 328, High averages 255 FPS, and Ultra averages 225 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 116 FPS, representing a 34.0% reduction from the lowest to highest preset.

At 2560x1440, the results scale down proportionally. Low averages 256 FPS, Medium averages 215 FPS with a minimum of 182 and maximum of 247, High averages 192 FPS, and Ultra averages 169 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is consistent at roughly 25% across all presets, indicating that resolution is the dominant factor in performance scaling.

At 3840x2160, the system remains highly playable. Low averages 172 FPS, Medium averages 144 FPS with a minimum of 122 and maximum of 165, High averages 128 FPS, and Ultra averages 113 FPS. The 4K results show that even the most demanding preset combination — Ultra at 4K — maintains an average above 110 FPS, which is a strong outcome for a pixel-art adventure game.

The Medium preset is the only one with complete min/max data at every resolution, and the data shows tight frame pacing: at 1080p the range is 242-328 FPS (a 86 FPS spread), at 1440p it is 182-247 FPS (65 FPS spread), and at 4K it is 122-165 FPS (43 FPS spread). This narrowing range at higher resolutions is typical of GPU-bound scenarios, where the consistent load produces more stable frame times. The absence of min/max data for Low, High, and Ultra presets in the measured results means only average FPS can be reported for those settings, but the averages alone indicate a system that never struggles to maintain playable frame rates.