Dave The Diver

# Dave The Diver: Intel Core i7-14700K + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060

This combo delivers strong frame rates across all tested resolutions, but the scaling pattern reveals a GPU-bound scenario at 4K and a CPU-bound one at 1080p. The RTX 5060's 8GB VRAM and 128-bit bus are not limiting factors in this title, as even the most demanding preset stays well above playable thresholds. With a combo rank of 754 out of 1626 tested configurations, this pairing sits in the upper-middle tier, offering consistently smooth gameplay for a pixel-art adventure that clearly favors GPU throughput over raw processor muscle.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial but not catastrophic, indicating a balanced workload that becomes progressively GPU-limited at higher resolutions. At Ultra settings, the average frame rate falls from 164 FPS at 1920x1080 to 123.3 FPS at 2560x1440—a 24.8% reduction—and then to 80.6 FPS at 3840x2160, another 34.6% drop. This steepening decline between 1440p and 4K points to the RTX 5060 hitting its rendering ceiling as pixel count grows.

The Low preset shows a similar pattern but with higher absolute numbers: 247.6 FPS at 1080p, 186.8 FPS at 1440p, and 125.4 FPS at 4K. The 1080p-to-1440p gap here is 24.5%, nearly identical to the Ultra preset's 24.8% drop, suggesting the scaling penalty is consistent regardless of settings. However, the 4K drop from 1440p is 32.9% for Low versus 34.6% for Ultra, revealing that heavier settings amplify the resolution penalty slightly.

What this tells us: at 1080p, the i7-14700K's 20 cores and 28 threads are more than sufficient, and the RTX 5060 becomes the primary limiter. By 4K, the GPU is unequivocally the bottleneck. The delta between High and Ultra at each resolution shrinks as resolution rises—from 21.8 FPS at 1080p to 15.3 FPS at 1440p and 12.4 FPS at 4K—indicating that Ultra's additional visual load is less costly at higher resolutions where pixel fill dominates.

GPU Role

The RTX 5060's 8GB of GDDR7 memory on a 128-bit bus provides 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which proves adequate for Dave The Diver's art style. The data shows no catastrophic frame rate collapse at 4K, which would signal VRAM capacity or bandwidth starvation. Instead, the smooth degradation from 247.6 FPS at 1080p Low to 80.6 FPS at 4K Ultra suggests the GPU's 3840 shading units and 48 ROPs are doing their job without memory-related stutters.

Clock speeds matter here: the base clock of 2280 MHz boosting to 2497 MHz gives the card reasonable headroom. The measured results indicate that the 5060's 19.18 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is well-matched to this game's demands. At 4K Ultra, 80.6 FPS is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold, and even the most demanding preset combination tested (4K Ultra) never dips below playable levels.

The GPU's 73rd percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 30109, places it near the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT (deltaPct 0) and slightly ahead of the NVIDIA Tesla M60 (deltaPct 0.5). This competitive positioning explains why the 5060 handles 4K Ultra without breaking a sweat—it's punching near its class weight. The 8GB VRAM, while modest by 2025 standards, is not a constraining factor in this title, as evidenced by the consistent frame rate scaling without sudden drops.

Settings Recommendations

The data strongly favors High settings as the optimal balance point for this combo. At 1080p, High produces 185.8 FPS versus 207.5 FPS on Medium and 164 FPS on Ultra—the jump from High to Ultra costs 21.8 FPS (11.7%) for what is typically a marginal visual improvement in a 2D-styled game. At 1440p, High delivers 138.6 FPS, which is 16.7 FPS below Medium's 155.3 but 15.3 FPS above Ultra's 123.3. The High preset maintains a comfortable margin above 120 FPS at 1440p, making it ideal for high-refresh monitors.

At 4K, High's 93 FPS is the only preset that stays above 90 FPS besides Low (125.4). Medium drops to 103.6 FPS and Ultra to 80.6 FPS. Given that High only costs 10.6 FPS over Medium at 4K but gains 12.4 FPS over Ultra, it represents the sweet spot. For competitive play or maximum smoothness, Low at 1080p (247.6 FPS) is the clear choice, but for visual fidelity with no performance sacrifice, High is the recommendation.

The 4K Ultra result of 80.6 FPS is still playable, but the 12.4 FPS penalty over High is difficult to justify without knowing the visual differences. Medium offers a middle ground at all resolutions, but High's marginal cost over Medium (10.6 FPS at 4K, 16.7 FPS at 1440p, 21.7 FPS at 1080p) is worth it for the quality uplift.

How This Combo Ranks

With a rank of 754 out of 1626 tested combos, this pairing sits in the 46th percentile—slightly below the median of all configurations tested in Dave The Diver. This is a noteworthy result given the individual components' strong standings: the CPU ranks in the 96th percentile among all CPUs, while the GPU ranks in the 73rd percentile among all GPUs. The combo's middling position suggests that other pairings with more powerful GPUs or different CPU-GPU balances achieve better results in this specific title.

The i7-14700K's nearest rivals—the i7-14700KF (deltaPct 0), AMD EPYC 9115 (deltaPct 0.3), and Ryzen 9 9950X (deltaPct -0.5)—are all within 0.5% of its average benchmark score, indicating that CPU choice among high-end desktop parts has minimal impact on this game. Similarly, the RTX 5060's closest competitor, the RX 7700 XT (deltaPct 0), and the RTX 5070 Mobile (deltaPct 0.6) are near-identical in average scores.

The rank of 754 suggests that while this combo is far from the top, it's also not near the bottom—there are 872 combos that perform worse. For a game like Dave The Diver, which does not demand high-end hardware, this mid-tier ranking is entirely acceptable. The measured frame rates at all settings and resolutions exceed playability thresholds, making the rank more academic than practical.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Dave The Diver at 4K 60 FPS?

A: Yes. At 4K High settings, the average FPS is 93, and even at 4K Ultra it maintains 80.6 FPS. All four tested 4K presets exceed 60 FPS.

Q: What is the best resolution for competitive play?

A: 1080p with Low settings produces 247.6 FPS, the highest measured result. Even 1080p High at 185.8 FPS is well above typical competitive thresholds.

Q: How much performance is lost going from 1440p to 4K?

A: At High settings, the drop is from 138.6 FPS to 93 FPS, a 32.9% reduction. At Ultra, it's 123.3 FPS to 80.6 FPS, a 34.6% reduction.

Q: Is the 8GB VRAM sufficient for this game?

A: Yes. The data shows no frame rate anomalies or crashes at 4K Ultra, which would indicate VRAM insufficiency. The 448.0 GB/s bandwidth handles the game's demands.

Q: How does this combo compare to the RTX 5060's closest rival?

A: The RTX 5060's average benchmark score (30109) is essentially tied with the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT (30097, deltaPct 0). In-game results are consistent with this parity.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the results show a clear hierarchy: Low at 247.6 FPS, Medium at 207.5 FPS, High at 185.8 FPS, and Ultra at 164 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 83.6 FPS, indicating that preset choice has a significant impact at this resolution. The step from Medium to High costs 21.7 FPS, while High to Ultra costs 21.8 FPS—a consistent penalty.

At 2560x1440, the same ordering applies: Low at 186.8 FPS, Medium at 155.3 FPS, High at 138.6 FPS, and Ultra at 123.3 FPS. The Low-to-Ultra gap narrows to 63.5 FPS, and the per-step penalties are 31.5 FPS (Low to Medium), 16.7 FPS (Medium to High), and 15.3 FPS (High to Ultra). The diminishing returns of higher presets become apparent here.

At 3840x2160, the results are: Low at 125.4 FPS, Medium at 103.6 FPS, High at 93 FPS, and Ultra at 80.6 FPS. The Low-to-Ultra gap is 44.8 FPS, and the step penalties are 21.8 FPS, 10.6 FPS, and 12.4 FPS respectively. Notably, the Medium-to-High penalty at 4K (10.6 FPS) is smaller than at 1080p (21.7 FPS), reinforcing that GPU load scales predictably with resolution.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700K brings 20 cores, 28 threads, and boost clocks up to 5.60 GHz to this pairing. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44534 and single-core score of 6287 indicate substantial headroom for any game logic or simulation tasks Dave The Diver might throw at it. The 33 MB of shared L3 cache further aids in keeping frequently accessed data close to the cores.

The data suggests the CPU is not a bottleneck at any tested resolution. At 1080p Low, the 247.6 FPS result approaches what the GPU can physically render, and the CPU's 96th percentile ranking among all CPUs means it's far more capable than this game requires. The nearest rival, the i7-14700KF, scores identically (deltaPct 0), confirming that the CPU's performance is not a differentiating factor.

However, the combo's rank of 754 out of 1626 suggests that other CPUs paired with this GPU might yield slightly different results. The Ryzen 9 9950X, with a deltaPct of -0.5%, is marginally slower in average benchmarks, yet could interact differently with the RTX 5060 in this specific title. But given the game's relatively simple rendering demands, the i7-14700K's 20 cores are likely overkill, with even a fraction of its threads being sufficient to feed the GPU at 4K Ultra (80.6 FPS). The CPU's 125W TDP and Raptor Lake architecture are more than adequate for this workload.