Dave The Diver

Dave the Diver, an adventure title from June 2023, presents an interesting scaling challenge for the Intel Core i7-14700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER pairing. The measured data shows this combination is far from a bottleneck-limited setup at most settings, with the CPU’s 20 cores and the GPU’s 8 GB VRAM interacting in ways that favor certain presets. Benchmark results indicate the system delivers highly playable frame rates across all tested resolutions, but the relationship between settings and performance reveals which component carries the load under different conditions.

Settings Recommendations

The measured rows provide a clear picture of which preset offers the best experience: Medium at 1080p stands out as the optimal balance. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset delivers an average of 180 FPS, with a minimum of 153 FPS and a maximum of 207 FPS. This is notably higher than the High preset’s 161 FPS average and the Ultra preset’s 142 FPS average at the same resolution. The jump from Low to Medium costs 35 FPS (from 215 to 180), but the visual uplift is substantial, while the step from Medium to High costs 19 FPS for diminishing returns.

At 1440p, the Medium preset again proves the sweet spot. The measured 135 FPS average, with a minimum of 115 FPS and a maximum of 156 FPS, keeps the experience well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth play. High at 1440p drops to 121 FPS average, and Ultra falls to 107 FPS. The data shows that Medium preserves the frame rate headroom needed for demanding scenes, whereas High and Ultra begin to tax the GPU’s 8 GB VRAM and 256-bit memory bus more heavily.

The 4K results reinforce this pattern. At 3840x2160, Medium yields 91 FPS average (minimum 77, maximum 104), which remains comfortably playable. High drops to 81 FPS, and Ultra falls to 72 FPS. Low at 4K reaches 108 FPS, but the visual quality loss is unnecessary given that Medium already provides a strong experience. For users with high-refresh-rate 1080p displays, Medium at 180 FPS is the clear choice; for 1440p and 4K panels, Medium sustains the best combination of fidelity and fluidity across the board.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700F brings 20 cores and 28 threads to the table, with a base clock of 2.10 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. This Raptor Lake-R architecture chip, built on Intel’s 10 nm process, has 33 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB of L2 per core. In Dave the Diver, an adventure game that does not demand extreme multi-threaded workloads, the CPU’s raw throughput is not the limiting factor. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 35122 and single-core score of 4958 indicate substantial headroom, while Geekbench multi-core at 19620 and single-core at 2429 confirm this.

The passmark physics score of 2455 and the extended instructions score of 28564 suggest the CPU handles game logic and physics without strain. The 91st percentile ranking versus all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 53620, places it in the top tier. Nearest rivals include the Intel Xeon 6505P (0.2% behind), Intel Xeon Phi 7290 (0.3% ahead), AMD Ryzen 9 7900X (0.6% ahead), and AMD EPYC 7313P (0.8% ahead), showing the i7-14700F sits squarely among high-end workstation and desktop parts.

For this game, the CPU’s role is mostly about maintaining consistent frame pacing rather than pushing raw frame counts. The data shows that at Low settings, the FPS ceiling is far above what the GPU can deliver at higher presets, implying the CPU is never the bottleneck even at 1080p Low where the average hits 215 FPS. The 5.40 GHz boost clock ensures single-threaded tasks, common in adventure game logic, are handled efficiently. The 65 W TDP is modest for a 20-core part, but the performance data confirms it does not throttle in this title.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER, built on the TU104 chip with a 12 nm TSMC process, provides 8 GB of GDDR6 VRAM on a 256-bit bus with 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its base clock of 1605 MHz and boost clock of 1770 MHz, alongside 2560 shading units and 64 ROPs, define the graphics ceiling. The GPU’s 65th percentile ranking versus all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 20282, places it mid-pack. Nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M (1% ahead), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (1.2% ahead), Intel Arc B570 (1.3% ahead), and Intel Arc A750 (1.5% ahead), indicating the RTX 2070 SUPER is competitive with newer mid-range parts.

The VRAM capacity is the defining factor in this game’s scaling. At 1080p, the GPU can push 161 FPS on High and 142 FPS on Ultra, but the drop from Medium to High (180 to 161 FPS) suggests the memory bandwidth starts to matter. At 1440p, the gap widens: Medium at 135 FPS versus Ultra at 107 FPS. At 4K, the strain is apparent—Medium at 91 FPS and Ultra at 72 FPS. The 8 GB buffer is sufficient for Medium at all resolutions, but High and Ultra likely exceed comfortable memory usage, causing the frame rate to fall.

The GPU’s FP32 performance of 9.062 TFLOPS and texture rate of 283.2 GTexel/s provide ample compute for this title’s stylized visuals. The 40 RT cores and 320 tensor cores are present but largely unused in an adventure game without heavy ray tracing. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1651 and passmark G3D score of 18169 indicate the GPU handles modern APIs well. The data shows the RTX 2070 SUPER is the primary limiter at higher presets, particularly at 4K, where the CPU has ample headroom to feed frames but the GPU cannot keep pace.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 2150 out of 3710 tested combinations, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the benchmark database. This position reflects the pairing of a high-end 20-core CPU with a mid-range GPU from 2019, creating an imbalance where the processor is far more capable than the graphics card. The rank is not a measure of playability—the measured FPS numbers show solid performance—but rather a comparative position among all hardware pairings.

This ranking makes sense given the component profiles. The CPU sits at the 91st percentile among all CPUs, while the GPU sits at the 65th percentile among all GPUs. The combination of a top-tier processor with a below-average-for-its-time GPU drags the overall rank down. In games like Dave the Diver, which are not graphically intensive, this pairing still delivers high frame rates, but in more demanding titles, the GPU would bottleneck the CPU’s potential. The data suggests users would see better rank parity with a stronger GPU, but for this specific title, the current setup is more than adequate.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS progression from 1080p to 4K reveals where the bottleneck lies. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 215 at 1080p to 162 at 1440p and 108 at 4K. This is a 50% reduction from 1080p to 4K, indicating the GPU is the limiting factor even at the lowest preset. At Medium, the numbers are 180, 135, and 91 FPS respectively—a 49% drop from 1080p to 4K. High shows 161, 121, and 81 FPS (50% drop), and Ultra shows 142, 107, and 72 FPS (49% drop).

The consistency of this ~50% reduction across all settings points to a GPU-bound scenario. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the scaling would show smaller percentage drops at higher resolutions where the GPU has more work. Instead, the uniform scaling suggests the RTX 2070 SUPER’s 448.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 8 GB VRAM are the primary constraints. The CPU’s 5.40 GHz boost clock and 20 cores remain underutilized, as evidenced by the fact that even at 4K Low, the system hits 108 FPS—far above the 60 FPS target—while the CPU has plenty of headroom left.

The takeaway is that this pairing is CPU-overprovisioned for Dave the Diver. Users could theoretically drop to a lower-core CPU without losing frame rates, but the 14700F ensures no frame drops from logic or physics. The GPU dictates the experience, and its 8 GB VRAM limits the highest presets at 4K.

FAQ

Q: What is the best settings preset for a 1080p display?

A: Medium at 1920x1080 delivers 180 FPS average with a minimum of 153 FPS, offering the best balance between visual quality and performance. High drops to 161 FPS, and Ultra falls to 142 FPS.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming?

A: Yes, at 3840x2160, Medium settings produce 91 FPS average with a minimum of 77 FPS. High yields 81 FPS, and Ultra drops to 72 FPS, all of which are playable.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this game?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. FPS drops by approximately 50% from 1080p to 4K across all settings, and the CPU’s 20 cores and 5.40 GHz boost clock do not constrain performance.

Q: How does this combo rank among tested systems?

A: It ranks 2150 out of 3710 combinations. The CPU ranks in the 91st percentile among all CPUs, while the GPU ranks in the 65th percentile, creating an imbalance.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p?

A: Low delivers 162 FPS average, while Ultra delivers 107 FPS. Medium sits at 135 FPS with a minimum of 115 FPS and maximum of 156 FPS.

Q: Does the 8 GB VRAM cause issues at higher settings?

A: The data suggests yes. At 4K, Ultra drops to 72 FPS compared to Medium’s 91 FPS, and the same pattern holds at 1440p (107 vs 135 FPS), indicating memory pressure at higher presets.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080:

• Low: 215 FPS average
• Medium: 180 FPS average, 153 FPS minimum, 207 FPS maximum
• High: 161 FPS average
• Ultra: 142 FPS average

2560x1440:

• Low: 162 FPS average
• Medium: 135 FPS average, 115 FPS minimum, 156 FPS maximum
• High: 121 FPS average
• Ultra: 107 FPS average

3840x2160:

• Low: 108 FPS average
• Medium: 91 FPS average, 77 FPS minimum, 104 FPS maximum
• High: 81 FPS average
• Ultra: 72 FPS average

The full dataset shows a consistent pattern: Medium settings always provide the largest FPS buffer above the minimum playability threshold, while Low offers the highest raw frame rates but at a visual cost. High and Ultra progressively reduce performance, with the gaps widening at higher resolutions. The RTX 2070 SUPER’s 8 GB VRAM and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are the clear constraints, while the i7-14700F’s 20 cores remain underutilized throughout. For users prioritizing smooth gameplay, Medium at any resolution is the data-backed recommendation.