Dave The Diver

Dave The Diver is not a typical stress test for flagship hardware, but the benchmark results for the Intel Core i7-14700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 combination reveal a clear performance hierarchy. The data shows that this combo is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at lower resolutions, with the frame rate scaling almost entirely with the graphics card's workload until the CPU becomes a limiting factor at 1080p. The RTX 5080 delivers exceptional frame rates across all settings, making this pairing overkill for the game's demands, yet the measured numbers provide a detailed look at how the components scale.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent, pointing to the GPU as the primary bottleneck in most scenarios. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 324.5 at 1920x1080 to 241.1 at 2560x1440, a reduction of roughly 25.7%. Moving to 3840x2160, the average drops further to 161.7 FPS, which is 50.2% lower than the 1080p result. This pattern indicates that the RTX 5080 is fully engaged at higher resolutions, with its rendering throughput dictating the performance ceiling.

The scaling behavior changes with the preset. At Low settings, the 1080p average of 433.4 FPS plummets to 327.4 FPS at 1440p (a 24.5% drop) and then to 215.6 FPS at 4K (a 50.3% drop from 1080p). The consistency of these percentage drops across presets suggests that the GPU's fill rate and shader capacity are the dominant factors, rather than any CPU-side limitation. At 4K, the difference between Low and Ultra is 73.9 FPS (215.6 vs 141.7), which is substantial, but even the lowest preset at 4K remains far above the 60 FPS threshold.

The most telling data point is the 1080p to 4K scaling at Ultra settings. The average FPS goes from 283.3 at 1080p to 141.7 at 4K, a precise halving of the frame rate. This 2x scaling factor is a classic indication that the GPU is the limiting component, as the pixel count quadruples but the workload per pixel increases enough to halve the output. The RTX 5080's 16 GB of GDDR7 memory and 960.0 GB/s bandwidth are not saturating at 4K, as evidenced by the playable frame rates, but the rendering pipeline is clearly the constraining factor.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700K is a 20-core, 28-thread processor with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. In Dave The Diver, the CPU's role is almost negligible at higher resolutions, but it becomes a noticeable factor at 1080p. The benchmark results show that at 1920x1080 with Low settings, the average FPS reaches 433.4, which is the highest recorded in the entire dataset. This figure is 57.1% higher than the 4K Low result of 215.6 FPS, indicating that the CPU can feed frames fast enough to allow the GPU to run at its maximum potential.

However, the CPU's influence is not linear. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra settings is 150.1 FPS (433.4 vs 283.3), which is a larger absolute gap than the 73.9 FPS difference seen at 4K. This suggests that at 1080p, the CPU is still capable of driving the GPU, but the settings impact the GPU's efficiency more than the CPU's ability to issue draw calls. The i7-14700K's single-core performance, as measured by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6287 and Geekbench single-core score of 2932, is more than sufficient for this game's logic, which is not heavily threaded.

The CPU's percentile ranking of 96 vs all CPUs places it in the top tier, and its average benchmark score of 70074 is nearly identical to the Intel Core i7-14700KF (70104, 0% delta) and slightly ahead of the AMD EPYC 9115 (69887, 0.3% delta). This indicates that the i7-14700K is not a bottleneck in any scenario tested here, and even the highest frame rates at 1080p are limited by the GPU's rendering capabilities rather than the CPU's processing speed.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combos for Dave The Diver, this pairing of the Intel Core i7-14700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 ranks 63rd out of 1626 total combinations. This places it in the top 3.9% of all tested systems, which is a strong showing given the game's relatively modest graphical demands. The rank reflects the GPU's high percentile of 89 vs all GPUs, but it is not the absolute top combination, suggesting that other CPUs or GPUs may achieve slightly higher frame rates in specific scenarios.

The combo's rank is likely influenced by the CPU's performance relative to its rivals. The i7-14700K has an average benchmark score of 70074, which is 0.5% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X (70420, deltaPct of -0.5%) and 1.4% higher than the Intel Xeon Platinum 8270 (71056, deltaPct of -1.4%). However, the GPU's nearest rivals, such as the Intel Arc A570M (58239, deltaPct of 1.6%) and the AMD Radeon Pro W5500X (57661, deltaPct of 2.6%), are significantly slower, which likely contributes to the high ranking. The data shows that this combo outperforms the vast majority of tested systems, but it is not the definitive best, as 62 other combinations have achieved higher average FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 3840x2160, the average FPS ranges from 141.7 on Ultra to 215.6 on Low, with Medium hitting 183.1 and High at 161.7. The spread of 73.9 FPS between the lowest and highest presets indicates that the GPU is heavily taxed at 4K, but even the Ultra preset delivers a smooth 141.7 FPS average, which is well above the typical 60 FPS target for most displays.

At 2560x1440, the averages are significantly higher, with Low reaching 327.4 FPS and Ultra at 213.4 FPS. Medium and High sit in between at 271.3 and 241.1 FPS, respectively. The gap between Low and Ultra here is 114.0 FPS, showing that the GPU has more headroom at this resolution, but the settings still have a meaningful impact on performance. The 1440p results are roughly 1.5 to 1.6 times higher than the corresponding 4K numbers, which aligns with the scaling expected from a pixel count reduction of about 56%.

At 1920x1080, the frame rates are the highest, with Low at 433.4 FPS, Medium at 359.4 FPS, High at 324.5 FPS, and Ultra at 283.3 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 150.1 FPS, which is the largest absolute gap across all resolutions. This suggests that at 1080p, the GPU is not fully saturated, and the settings are the primary factor in determining the final frame rate. The 1080p results are 1.3 to 2.0 times higher than the 4K results, with the largest multiplier seen on the Low preset (2.01x).

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The highest average FPS is 433.4, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested systems in Dave The Diver?

A: This combo ranks 63rd out of 1626 tested combinations, placing it in the top 3.9% of all systems.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between 1080p and 4K at High settings?

A: At High settings, the average FPS drops from 324.5 at 1920x1080 to 161.7 at 3840x2160, a reduction of 162.8 FPS or 50.2%.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 4K?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K, as the frame rates scale consistently with resolution and settings, and the i7-14700K's performance is sufficient to avoid bottlenecking even at lower resolutions.

Q: What is the average FPS at 1440p with Ultra settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with Ultra settings, the average FPS is 213.4.

Q: How does the i7-14700K compare to its nearest rival in CPU benchmarks?

A: The i7-14700K has an average benchmark score of 70074, which is 0.3% higher than the AMD EPYC 9115 (69887) and 0.5% lower than the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X (70420).

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience, the data suggests that High settings at 2560x1440 offers an optimal balance, delivering an average of 241.1 FPS. This is more than enough for high-refresh-rate monitors and provides a significant visual upgrade over Medium (271.3 FPS) without the performance penalty of Ultra (213.4 FPS). At 1440p, the difference between High and Ultra is only 27.7 FPS, so users prioritizing visual fidelity can select Ultra without sacrificing smoothness.

At 4K, High settings (161.7 FPS) are recommended over Ultra (141.7 FPS) to maintain a higher frame rate buffer, as the visual difference between the two presets is often minimal in a game with this art style. The Low preset at 4K (215.6 FPS) is only advisable for users with 240Hz 4K displays, as the visual quality drop is substantial. For 1080p users, Ultra settings (283.3 FPS) are the clear choice, as the GPU has ample headroom to run the game at its highest quality while still exceeding 280 FPS average.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 is the dominant component in this pairing, with its 16 GB of GDDR7 memory and 960.0 GB/s bandwidth proving more than sufficient for Dave The Diver. The GPU's boost clock of 2617 MHz and base clock of 2295 MHz, combined with its 10752 shading units, allow it to handle the game's 2D and 3D elements with ease. The measured data shows that the GPU is the primary driver of performance, with the frame rate dropping by 50% or more when moving from 1080p to 4K, regardless of the settings preset.

The GPU's percentile ranking of 89 vs all GPUs places it in the top tier, and its average benchmark score of 59188 is 1.6% higher than the Intel Arc A570M (58239) and 2.5% higher than the Intel Arc A580 (57756). However, the RTX 5080's nearest rival, the Intel Arc Pro A60, has a higher score of 60326 (deltaPct of -1.9%), indicating that the RTX 5080 is not the absolute fastest GPU in the database. In Dave The Diver, the GPU's role is to render the game's detailed underwater environments and characters, and the results show that it does so efficiently at all tested resolutions, with even the most demanding 4K Ultra preset achieving a 141.7 FPS average.