Dave The Diver

Dave The Diver, a 2023 adventure title, presents an interesting case for the Intel Core i7-14700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 combination. The measured data places this specific pairing at rank 2003 out of 3710 tested combos, which puts it in the 54th percentile of all possible configurations. This mid-pack ranking is somewhat surprising given the hardware's specifications, but the benchmark results reveal that the game is highly playable across all tested scenarios, with the combination demonstrating a strong capability to push high frame rates at every resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 2003 out of 3710 indicates that while this system is not at the top of the performance charts, it sits comfortably in the middle of the pack. This placement suggests that the i7-14700K and RTX 4060 pairing is a balanced one, but not one that maximizes the potential of either component for this specific title. The CPU itself, with an average benchmark score of 69355, ranks in the 94th percentile against all other CPUs, placing it near the top of the processor hierarchy. Its nearest rivals in terms of average score include the AMD EPYC 9115 with a delta of 0.1%, the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X with a delta of -0.2%, and the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX with a delta of -0.7%. These minuscule deltas show the i7-14700K is performing exactly as expected, right in line with other high-end processors.

On the GPU side, the RTX 4060's average benchmark score of 17639 places it in the 61st percentile of all GPUs, which is a more modest standing. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon HD 7790 with a delta of -0.2%, the AMD Radeon 780M with a delta of 0.3%, and the AMD Radeon Pro 560 with a delta of 0.5%. The discrepancy between the CPU's high percentile (94th) and the GPU's lower percentile (61st) is a key indicator. In Dave The Diver, the overall combo rank is likely dragged down by the GPU, as the CPU has significant headroom to spare. The data suggests that the system's performance is more constrained by the graphics card than the processor, a common scenario in gaming but one that is particularly pronounced here given the CPU's elite standing.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of how the i7-14700K and RTX 4060 handle different quality presets. At 1080p, the Ultra preset delivers an average of 153 FPS, which is far above the threshold for smooth gameplay on high refresh rate monitors. The High preset pushes this to 173 FPS, Medium to 194 FPS, and Low to 231 FPS. Given that the game is an adventure title where visual fidelity often enhances the experience, the Ultra preset is entirely viable at 1080p, offering a substantial performance buffer. The data shows no reason to compromise on quality at this resolution, as even the most demanding preset yields frame rates that exceed what most displays can show.

Moving to 1440p, the Ultra preset still maintains an average of 115 FPS, which is excellent. High settings provide 130 FPS, Medium 146 FPS, and Low 174 FPS. The step down from Ultra to High is a 15 FPS gain, but the visual difference is often minimal in this genre. For the best balance of image quality and performance at 1440p, the High preset appears to be the sweet spot, as it stays well above 120 FPS while retaining most of the graphical enhancements. At 4K, the Ultra preset drops to 77 FPS, which is still playable but begins to approach the lower boundary for high-refresh-rate displays. The High preset at 4K yields 87 FPS, while Medium produces 98 FPS. For a consistent 60+ FPS experience at 4K, the High preset is the recommended choice, as it offers a significant visual upgrade over Medium with only a 11 FPS penalty. The data indicates that this combo can handle the game at its highest settings at 1080p and 1440p, and requires a modest reduction to High for optimal 4K performance.

Resolution Scaling

The performance scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals important insights about the system's bottleneck. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 173 at 1080p to 130 at 1440p, a 25% reduction, and then further to 87 at 4K, which is another 33% reduction from the 1440p figure. This scaling pattern is typical for a GPU-limited scenario, where the frame rate is directly tied to the number of pixels being rendered. The RTX 4060, with its 8 GB of VRAM and 128-bit memory bus, is working progressively harder as resolution increases, which is reflected in the diminishing returns.

The Ultra preset shows a similar trend, with FPS dropping from 153 at 1080p to 115 at 1440p, and then to 77 at 4K. The proportional drop from 1440p to 4K is 33%, consistent with the High settings scaling. This consistency across presets strongly implies that the GPU is the limiting factor in this configuration. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see a smaller difference between 1080p and 4K, as the processor would be maxed out even at lower resolutions. Instead, the data shows that the frame rate scales almost linearly with pixel count, which is the signature of a GPU-bound workload. The i7-14700K, with its 20 cores and 28 threads, is clearly not struggling at any resolution, leaving the RTX 4060 as the component that determines the final output.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete FPS breakdown for the Intel Core i7-14700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 in Dave The Diver is as follows. At 1080p, the Ultra preset averages 153 FPS, High averages 173 FPS, Medium averages 194 FPS with a minimum of 165 and a maximum of 223, and Low averages 231 FPS. The spread between the lowest and highest presets is 78 FPS, which shows that the game's settings have a significant impact on performance even at a manageable resolution. The Medium preset's minimum of 165 FPS indicates that even in the most demanding scenes, the game remains incredibly smooth.

At 1440p, the Ultra preset averages 115 FPS, High averages 130 FPS, Medium averages 146 FPS with a minimum of 124 and a maximum of 168, and Low averages 174 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra narrows to 59 FPS, showing that the GPU is beginning to feel the pressure of the higher pixel count. At 4K, the Ultra preset averages 77 FPS, High averages 87 FPS, Medium averages 98 FPS with a minimum of 83 and a maximum of 112, and Low averages 117 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 40 FPS, the smallest margin of all resolutions. This compression of the performance range at higher resolutions is a clear indicator that the GPU is becoming the primary constraint, as the relative cost of each setting decreases when the base workload is already high. The data shows that the RTX 4060 can maintain playable frame rates at 4K, but the headroom for high refresh rate gaming is limited to the lower presets.

FAQ

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-14700K and RTX 4060 combination capable of running Dave The Diver at 4K with high settings?

A: Yes, the measured data shows an average of 87 FPS at 3840x2160 with High settings, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

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

A: The i7-14700K has an average benchmark score of 69355, placing it 0.1% above the AMD EPYC 9115, 0.2% above the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, and 0.7% above the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX.

Q: What is the best preset for a 1440p high-refresh-rate monitor?

A: The High preset at 2560x1440 provides an average of 130 FPS, making it the optimal choice for displays with a 120Hz or higher refresh rate, as it balances visual quality with performance.

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

A: The data suggests the GPU is the limiting factor, as the FPS scales proportionally with resolution, and the CPU's 94th percentile ranking far exceeds the GPU's 61st percentile.

Q: What are the minimum FPS values for the Medium preset?

A: At 1920x1080, the Medium preset has a minimum of 165 FPS; at 2560x1440, it has a minimum of 124 FPS; and at 3840x2160, it has a minimum of 83 FPS.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K at Ultra settings?

A: The average FPS drops from 153 at 1080p to 77 at 4K, representing a 50% reduction in performance at the highest quality preset.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700K is a 20-core, 28-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, released in October 2023 with a launch MSRP of $409. It operates with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, and its 33 MB of shared L3 cache provides ample capacity for game data. The CPU's benchmark scores are impressive, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 33440.5 and a single-core score of 2160, alongside a Geekbench multi-core score of 20767 and single-core score of 2569. These figures place the i7-14700K in the 94th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 69355.

In the context of Dave The Diver, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with data and manage game logic. Given that the combo rank is 2003 out of 3710, it is clear that the CPU is not the bottleneck. The 20 cores provide massive multi-threaded headroom, but the game likely does not utilize all of them. The high single-core performance, evidenced by the 2160 score in Cinebench R23, is more relevant for gaming, as it ensures that the main game thread can be processed quickly. The data shows that the CPU is overqualified for this title, as even at 1080p with Low settings, the FPS reaches 231, which is likely near the game's engine limit rather than a CPU constraint. The processor's performance is so far beyond what the game requires that it effectively becomes a non-factor, leaving the GPU to determine the final output.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process node and features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 272.0 GB/s. Its base clock is 1830 MHz, boosting up to 2460 MHz, and it has a TDP of 115 W. The GPU's benchmark scores include a Passmark G3D score of 19545 and a Geekbench OpenCL score of 95057, placing it in the 61st percentile of all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 17639. The GPU's nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon HD 7790 with a delta of -0.2%, the AMD Radeon 780M with a delta of 0.3%, and the AMD Radeon Pro 560 with a delta of 0.5%.

The RTX 4060's role in Dave The Diver is clearly the primary driver of performance. The measured FPS data shows that the GPU's capabilities are the limiting factor, especially at higher resolutions. The 8 GB of VRAM is sufficient for this game, as there are no indications of memory-related stutters in the minimum FPS values. The GPU's 24 RT cores and 96 tensor cores are present but likely underutilized in this title, as it is not a graphically demanding game. The 272.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth is adequate for the game's textures, but the 128-bit bus width contributes to the GPU's mid-range standing. The data shows that the RTX 4060 can deliver excellent frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K, it requires lower settings to maintain high FPS, confirming its position as the bottleneck in this combination. The GPU's performance is respectable, but it does not match the elite status of the i7-14700K, resulting in a system that is well-balanced for 1080p and 1440p gaming but not for 4K ultra-high refreshrate scenarios.