Dave The Diver

Dave The Diver is an adventure title that, on the surface, does not appear to be a demanding showcase for high-end hardware. However, the measured FPS data for the Intel Core i7-14700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 combination reveals a performance profile that is heavily influenced by resolution and graphics settings, characteristic of a game that scales well with GPU load. The data shows a clear hierarchy where frame rates are highest at 1080p and progressively decline as pixel count increases, with the RTX 3070 acting as the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The measured average FPS demonstrates a clear and consistent downward trend as resolution increases, indicating that the rendering load scales predictably with pixel count. At the High preset, the transition from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 results in a drop from 196 FPS to 147 FPS, a reduction of 49 FPS. Scaling further to 3840x2160 yields an average of 99 FPS, which is a 48 FPS decrease from the 1440p figure and a 97 FPS decrease from the 1080p baseline.

This pattern suggests that the game's rendering pipeline is heavily pixel-bound. The gap between 1080p and 1440p (49 FPS) is nearly identical to the gap between 1440p and 4K (48 FPS) at the High preset, indicating a linear relationship between pixel count and frame time. The data implies that at 1080p, the CPU is capable of feeding frames quickly enough to reach 196 FPS, but the GPU's rendering throughput becomes the bottleneck as resolution climbs, preventing the frame rate from maintaining the same pace.

The scaling behavior is even more pronounced when examining the Low preset. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 262 FPS, which drops to 197 FPS at 1440p and further to 132 FPS at 4K. The absolute FPS drops are larger in the Low preset (65 FPS from 1080p to 1440p, and another 65 FPS from 1440p to 4K), which is logical because the GPU is doing less work per pixel at Low settings, making the raw pixel throughput the dominant cost. This consistent halving of performance at each step suggests that the game is not encountering a memory bandwidth wall or a CPU bottleneck at any specific resolution; rather, it is a straightforward rasterization workload.

The data indicates that for a smooth 4K experience, the RTX 3070 is adequate for the High preset at 99 FPS, but the Ultra preset at 4K drops to 87 FPS, which is still playable but shows the GPU nearing its limit. The 4K Medium preset, with an average of 111 FPS and a minimum of 94 FPS, provides a more consistent frame pacing than the 4K High preset, which has no reported minimum FPS to confirm stability. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 4K shows a 45 FPS spread (132 FPS to 87 FPS), a relatively narrow range that suggests the visual settings have a moderate impact on the GPU's workload at this resolution.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700KF is a 20-core, 28-thread processor from the Core 14th Gen series, based on the Raptor Lake architecture. Its base clock is 3.40 GHz with a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, and it carries 33 MB of shared L3 cache. In the context of Dave The Diver, the CPU's role appears to be secondary to the GPU, as evidenced by the high frame rates achieved even at the most demanding settings.

Benchmark results for the CPU show a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44167 and a single-core score of 6235, indicating strong multi-threaded and single-threaded performance. The Passmark single-thread score of 4480 reinforces this capability. The high single-core performance is particularly relevant for game logic and physics, but the fact that the system reaches 262 FPS at 1080p Low suggests that the CPU is not the limiting factor in this scenario; the GPU is still able to keep up with the CPU's frame production at that resolution.

The data suggests that the CPU's 20 cores and 28 threads are more than sufficient for this game. At 1080p Ultra, the system still achieves 173 FPS, which is well above the 144 Hz refresh rate common on many monitors. If the CPU were a bottleneck, we would expect to see frame rates plateau across different resolutions at the same settings, but the measured data shows a consistent decline with resolution, indicating that the GPU is the component determining the final frame rate. The CPU's 94th percentile ranking against all CPUs further confirms that it is a high-end part that will not hold back the RTX 3070 in this title.

The processor's 125W TDP and 10nm process node are specifications that contribute to its overall capability, but the game's performance is not sensitive to these factors. The game's thread utilization is likely low enough that the CPU's massive core count is not fully leveraged, but its high clock speeds and strong single-core performance ensure that it can handle the game's logic without causing frame dips. The measured data shows no indication of CPU-related stuttering or frame rate drops, as the minimum FPS values recorded (e.g., 187 FPS at 1080p Medium) are still very high.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-14700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 achieves a combo rank of 1588 out of 3710 tested combinations in this game. This places the pairing in the upper-middle tier of all possible system configurations. Given that the CPU is a top-tier part and the GPU is a mid-to-high-end part from a previous generation, this ranking is logical; the GPU's performance ceiling is the limiting factor.

The ranking position suggests that many other combinations, likely those featuring newer or higher-end GPUs, will outperform this setup. However, the rank also indicates that this combo is faster than a majority of the tested systems, which includes many older or lower-spec builds. The RTX 3070's 61st percentile ranking against all GPUs, combined with the CPU's 94th percentile, means the overall system is balanced but leans on the GPU for gaming performance.

In practical terms, a rank of 1588 out of 3710 means that roughly 57% of tested combos are slower, and 43% are faster. This is a respectable position for a system that can run the game at 4K High with nearly 100 FPS. The data shows that the combo is not at the top of the charts, but it is far from the bottom, offering a solid experience for most gaming scenarios. The performance delta between the RTX 3070 and its nearest rivals in the GPU benchmark database is small, with the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT being only 0.7% faster, which suggests that the GPU's performance class is well-defined and that this combo's ranking is stable within its segment.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the system's performance across three resolutions and four quality presets. At 1920x1080, the average frame rates are as follows: Low presets achieves 262 FPS, Medium achieves 220 FPS (with a minimum of 187 FPS and maximum of 252 FPS), High achieves 196 FPS, and Ultra achieves 173 FPS. All of these figures are exceptionally high, indicating that the game is easily playable at high refresh rates on a 1080p display, even with maximum settings.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains strong. The Low preset yields 197 FPS, Medium yields 165 FPS (with a minimum of 140 FPS and maximum of 190 FPS), High yields 147 FPS, and Ultra yields 130 FPS. The minimum FPS at the Medium preset (140 FPS) is still well above the threshold for a smooth 144 Hz experience, suggesting that the system can maintain high frame rates without significant dips. The gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 67 FPS, which shows that the visual settings have a considerable impact on performance.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates are lower but still playable. The Low preset achieves 132 FPS, Medium achieves 111 FPS (with a minimum of 94 FPS and maximum of 127 FPS), High achieves 99 FPS, and Ultra achieves 87 FPS. The 4K Medium preset is the only one at this resolution with a recorded minimum FPS (94 FPS), which indicates that the frame pacing is stable enough to report a consistent floor. The 4K Ultra preset, at 87 FPS, is the lowest average recorded, but it is still comfortably above 60 FPS, making it a viable option for gamers who prioritize visual fidelity over raw frame rate.

The data shows a predictable pattern: for every resolution, the frame rate decreases as the settings go from Low to Ultra. The percentage drop from Low to Ultra is approximately 34% at 1080p, 34% at 1440p, and 34% at 4K, indicating that the relative cost of the Ultra preset is consistent regardless of resolution. This uniformity suggests that the settings affect the same GPU resources proportionally, and the RTX 3070's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory is sufficient to handle the Ultra textures at all resolutions without causing a performance cliff.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 is based on the Ampere architecture and features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. The GPU has a base clock of 1500 MHz and a boost clock of 1725 MHz, with 5888 shading units and 46 RT cores. Its Passmark G3D score of 22214 places it in the 61st percentile of all GPUs, indicating it is a capable mid-range performer.

In Dave The Diver, the GPU is clearly the primary driver of performance. The fact that frame rates scale linearly with resolution confirms that the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth are the limiting factors. The 8 GB VRAM capacity does not appear to be a bottleneck, as the frame rates do not show a sudden drop at 4K that would indicate a memory overflow; the decrease from 1440p to 4K is consistent with the increase in pixel count.

The GPU's FP32 performance of 20.31 TFLOPS is sufficient for this game's rendering load, as evidenced by the high frame rates. The boost clock of 1725 MHz allows for consistent performance, and the 448.0 GB/s memory bandwidth is adequate for the game's texture and geometry data. The RTX 3070's nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT, has an average benchmark score that is 0.7% higher, suggesting that the two GPUs perform nearly identically in general tasks, which is reflected in the game's frame rates.

The data indicates that the RTX 3070 is not a bottleneck at 1080p, where the frame rates are high enough to be CPU-limited in some scenarios (e.g., 262 FPS at Low). However, as the resolution increases, the GPU's workload grows, and its performance becomes the defining factor. The 4K results show that the GPU can still produce playable frame rates, but the Ultra preset at 87 FPS is the lowest, indicating that the GPU is nearing its limits at that resolution and settings combination.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the user's display resolution and refresh rate. For 1920x1080 displays, the Ultra preset is recommended, as it provides an average of 173 FPS, which is well above the 144 Hz refresh rate of most high-refresh monitors. The high frame rates at this resolution mean there is no need to compromise on visual quality.

For 2560x1440 displays, the High preset at 147 FPS is the best balance, offering a smooth experience on 144 Hz monitors while maintaining a high level of visual fidelity. The Ultra preset at 130 FPS is also viable for 120 Hz displays, but the High preset provides a more comfortable margin for frame rate fluctuations. The Medium preset at 165 FPS is an option for users with 165 Hz or higher refresh rate monitors, but the visual quality difference between Medium and High is likely noticeable.

For 3840x2160 displays, the Medium preset at 111 FPS is the recommended choice. It offers a significant improvement over the Low preset's 132 FPS in visual quality while maintaining a frame rate that is well above 60 FPS and close to 120 FPS. The High preset at 99 FPS is also usable, but the Medium preset's higher average and the recorded minimum FPS of 94 FPS suggest more consistent frame pacing. The Ultra preset at 87 FPS is playable, but it leaves less headroom for demanding scenes and may result in occasional dips below 60 FPS in unmeasured scenarios.

The data suggests that the Medium preset is the sweet spot for 4K gaming with this hardware, as it provides a high frame rate and stable minimum FPS. For users with 60 Hz 4K displays, the Ultra preset at 87 FPS is the best choice, as it maximizes visual quality while still exceeding the refresh rate. In summary, the RTX 3070 is capable of running the game at high settings at 1080p and 1440p, and at medium settings for a high-refresh 4K experience.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Dave The Diver at 4K with high settings?

A: Yes, the measured data shows an average of 99 FPS at 3840x2160 with the High preset, which is well above 60 FPS and suitable for a smooth 4K experience.

Q: What is the best settings preset for a 1440p 144Hz monitor?

A: The High preset at 2560x1440 achieves an average of 147 FPS, which is ideal for a 144Hz refresh rate. The Ultra preset at 130 FPS is also viable but offers less headroom.

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

A: The data indicates that the GPU is the primary limiting factor, as frame rates scale consistently with resolution. The CPU's performance is sufficient, as evidenced by the very high frame rates at 1080p.

Q: How much performance is lost by using the Ultra preset instead of Low?

A: At 1080p, the average FPS drops from 262 at Low to 173 at Ultra, a reduction of 89 FPS. At 1440p, the drop is from 197 to 130 FPS (67 FPS), and at 4K, from 132 to 87 FPS (45 FPS).

Q: Does the game benefit from the CPU's 20 cores and 28 threads?

A: The game likely does not fully utilize all 20 cores, but the CPU's high single-core performance (6235 in Cinebench R23) ensures that game logic is handled without causing frame rate drops, as the minimum FPS values are still high.

Q: Is there a risk of VRAM limitations at 4K with 8 GB of memory?

A: The measured data shows no evidence of VRAM-related performance issues, as the frame rate drops from 1440p to 4K are consistent with the increase in pixel count, rather than a sudden cliff.