Dave The Diver

Dave The Diver presents an interesting case for the Intel Core i7-14700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 combination. This pairing shows remarkably high performance across all tested resolutions, indicating a well-balanced system for this specific title. The data reveals that the game is not particularly demanding, allowing this mid-range GPU to deliver high refresh rate experiences even at 4K. The following analysis breaks down the measured performance, focusing on how the components interact and what the numbers suggest about the system's capabilities.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and predictable pattern as resolution increases, but the magnitude of the performance drop is surprisingly modest. At 1080p with Ultra settings, the combo achieves an average of 153 FPS. Moving to 1440p reduces this to 115 FPS, a decrease of 38 FPS or roughly 25%. Scaling further to 4K brings the average down to 77 FPS, which is another 38 FPS drop from the 1440p figure. This linear scaling pattern suggests that the workload is scaling consistently with pixel count, which is a sign of a well-optimized title.

The scaling from 1080p to 4K at Ultra settings results in a total performance loss of 76 FPS, bringing the frame rate from 153 down to 77. This indicates that the GPU is becoming the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions, as expected. However, the fact that the RTX 4060 can still maintain an average above 60 FPS at 4K Ultra is notable. The data shows that even at the most demanding settings, this combination does not dip below playable thresholds, which speaks to the efficient nature of the game engine.

Looking at the Medium preset, the pattern holds. The 1080p average of 194 FPS drops to 146 FPS at 1440p, a 48 FPS reduction. At 4K, the average is 98 FPS, another 48 FPS decline. The consistency of these drops—roughly 48 FPS between each resolution step—suggests a purely pixel-bound workload. This is different from games where CPU limitations appear at lower resolutions, creating a plateau. Here, the frame rate scales so uniformly that it points to the GPU being the bottleneck across all tested configurations, with the i7-14700KF having ample headroom.

The Low preset further emphasizes this point. At 1080p, the system pushes 231 FPS, which drops to 174 FPS at 1440p and 117 FPS at 4K. The 4K Low setting still delivers over 100 FPS, which is a strong result. The fact that the 4K Low score is higher than the 1080p Ultra score (117 vs 153) shows that visual settings have a more significant impact on performance than resolution in this game. This suggests that users can prioritize resolution for clarity without sacrificing too much speed, or vice versa, depending on their preference.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the benchmark database, this specific combination of the Intel Core i7-14700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 holds a rank of 2003 out of 3710 tested combos in Dave The Diver. This places it in the top 54% of all tested systems, which is a respectable position. The percentile ranking indicates that it outperforms a majority of other configurations tested for this game, though it is not in the top tier. This is logical given the RTX 4060 is a mid-range GPU, and many higher-end cards would naturally score better.

The ranking data suggests that while this combo is solid, there is significant room for improvement if one were to pair the same CPU with a more powerful GPU. The i7-14700KF is a high-end processor, but the overall combo rank is dragged down by the GPU's mid-range performance. The data shows that the CPU's potential is not fully utilized in this game, as the frame rates are likely GPU-bound even at lower resolutions. This is not a criticism of the combo, but rather an observation about where the bottleneck lies.

When interpreting the rank, it is important to consider that there are 3710 total combinations. Being in the 2003rd position means that there are 1707 combos that perform worse and 1706 that perform better. This places the system almost exactly in the middle of the pack. For a game like Dave The Diver, which is not a graphically intensive title, this ranking is more than sufficient for a smooth experience. The high frame rates measured across all settings confirm that the rank, while average, translates to excellent real-world playability.

The data indicates that the combo's performance is consistent with its component tier. The RTX 4060 is ranked at the 61st percentile among all GPUs, while the i7-14700KF is at the 94th percentile among all CPUs. The resulting combo rank of 2003 out of 3710 reflects the GPU's lower relative standing. This shows that the overall system performance in this game is heavily influenced by the graphics card, reinforcing the idea that the CPU is not the limiting factor.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture and features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 272.0 GB/s. The GPU has a base clock of 1830 MHz and a boost clock of 2460 MHz. These specifications are central to understanding its performance in Dave The Diver. The 8 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for this game, as the measured frame rates do not show any signs of memory-related stuttering or texture pop-in, even at 4K Ultra settings where 77 FPS is maintained.

The GPU's performance in this title is strong, as evidenced by the high frame rates. The 4K Ultra average of 77 FPS is particularly impressive for a card in this class. The memory clock of 2125 MHz (17 Gbps effective) and the 128-bit bus are often considered limiting factors for higher resolutions, but the data shows that Dave The Diver does not push these boundaries hard enough to cause problems. The game's art style and relatively simple geometry likely mean that the GPU's raw shader throughput is more important than memory bandwidth.

The RTX 4060's FP32 performance is rated at 15.11 TFLOPS, and its texture rate is 236.2 GTexel/s. These numbers, combined with the 3072 shading units, suggest a capable GPU for this specific workload. The benchmark results show that it handles the game with ease, maintaining high averages across all resolutions. The GPU's percentile ranking of 61st among all GPUs is a general measure of its overall compute capability, but in Dave The Diver, it performs better than that ranking might suggest, relative to other games.

The data shows that the GPU is the primary driver of the measured FPS. As resolution increases from 1080p to 4K, the frame rates drop consistently, which is the typical behavior of a GPU-bound scenario. The CPU has enough power to feed the GPU at all times, allowing the RTX 4060 to operate at its full potential. The fact that the 4K Low preset achieves 117 FPS while the 1080p Ultra achieves 153 FPS shows that the GPU has the headroom to handle significant increases in both resolution and visual fidelity, though not to the maximum of both simultaneously.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the user's display and preference for frame rate versus visual fidelity. The data provides four presets: Low, Medium, High, and Ultra. For users with a 1080p display, the Ultra preset is the clear choice, as it delivers an average of 153 FPS. This is well above the threshold for high refresh rate monitors and provides the best visual quality. The High preset offers a slight boost to 173 FPS, but the difference is minimal, making Ultra the better trade-off for the visual improvement.

For 1440p users, the High preset is recommended, delivering an average of 130 FPS. This provides a smooth experience on most high refresh rate monitors. The Ultra preset at 1440p drops to 115 FPS, which is still playable, but the High preset offers a better balance between frame rate and graphical quality. The Medium preset at 146 FPS is also an option if one prioritizes speed over visuals, but the jump from Medium to High is noticeable in most games. The data suggests that High is the sweet spot for this resolution.

For 4K users, the Medium preset is the most balanced option, providing an average of 98 FPS. The High preset drops to 87 FPS, while Ultra goes down to 77 FPS. While all three are playable, Medium offers a significant frame rate advantage over High and Ultra, and the visual difference between Medium and High is often subtle in less demanding titles. The Low preset at 4K achieves 117 FPS, but it compromises visual quality to a degree that might not be worth the extra speed for most players.

The measured data shows that the Medium preset at 4K has a minimum FPS of 83 and a maximum of 112, indicating a stable frame time. Similarly, the Medium preset at 1440p has a minimum of 124 and a maximum of 168. This consistency is important for a smooth gaming experience. The recommendation is to use the highest preset that maintains an average above 100 FPS for a given resolution. For 1080p, that is Ultra; for 1440p, that is High; and for 4K, that is Medium.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system demonstrates high performance across all presets. The Low preset achieves an average of 231 FPS, making it the highest measured score in the entire dataset. The Medium preset delivers 194 FPS, with a minimum of 165 and a maximum of 223. The High preset reaches 173 FPS, and the Ultra preset still maintains a strong 153 FPS. These numbers indicate that at 1080p, the combo is rarely challenged, and even the most demanding settings allow for high refresh rate gaming.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down predictably. The Low preset achieves 174 FPS, which is still an excellent result. The Medium preset delivers 146 FPS, with a minimum of 124 and a maximum of 168. The High preset reaches 130 FPS, and the Ultra preset provides 115 FPS. The 1440p results show that the system can handle the higher pixel count without significant issues, maintaining playable frame rates across all settings. The consistency between the minimum and maximum FPS for the Medium preset suggests a stable experience.

At 3840x2160, the system remains capable. The Low preset achieves 117 FPS, which is a strong result for 4K. The Medium preset delivers 98 FPS, with a minimum of 83 and a maximum of 112. The High preset reaches 87 FPS, and the Ultra preset provides 77 FPS. These 4K numbers are impressive for a GPU of this class, showing that Dave The Diver is well-optimized. The data shows that even at the highest resolution, the combo does not fall below 77 FPS on average, which is above the 60 FPS standard for smooth gameplay.

The data reveals a clear hierarchy of performance across the presets. At every resolution, Low > Medium > High > Ultra in terms of average FPS. The differences between presets are consistent, with Medium being roughly 20-30 FPS faster than High, and High being roughly 20 FPS faster than Ultra. This linear relationship makes it easy for users to predict the performance impact of changing settings. The measured data provides a complete picture of what to expect from this hardware combination.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 4K Ultra settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 77 FPS.

Q: How does the 1440p High setting compare to the 1080p Ultra setting?

A: The 1440p High setting achieves an average of 130 FPS, while the 1080p Ultra setting achieves 153 FPS. The 1080p Ultra is faster by 23 FPS.

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

A: The data suggests the GPU is the limiting factor. The frame rates scale almost linearly with resolution, which is a characteristic of GPU-bound workloads. The CPU has a high percentile ranking and ample headroom.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for the Medium preset at 1080p?

A: The Medium preset at 1920x1080 has a minimum FPS of 165.

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

A: This combination of Intel Core i7-14700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 ranks 2003 out of 3710 tested combos.

Q: What is the highest average FPS measured at 1440p?

A: The highest average FPS at 2560x1440 is 174, which is achieved with the Low preset.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700KF is a 20-core, 28-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture. It has a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. In Dave The Diver, this CPU provides more than enough processing power to avoid becoming a bottleneck. The measured frame rates, which scale consistently with resolution, indicate that the CPU is not limiting performance. The processor's high single-core and multi-core benchmark scores, such as 6235 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 44167 in multi-core, suggest it can handle any game logic or physics calculations the title throws at it.

The CPU's L3 cache is 33 MB shared, and it supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory. This flexibility, combined with its high clock speeds, ensures that the system can feed data to the GPU efficiently. In a game like Dave The Diver, which is not known for complex AI or simulation, the CPU's role is primarily to ensure that frame times are consistent and that the GPU is never waiting for data. The data supports this, as the frame rates are high and stable across all presets.

The i7-14700KF is ranked in the 94th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 70163. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K, has an average score of 70879, which is 1% higher. This puts the i7-14700KF in a competitive position, though the data shows that this CPU's performance is not the determining factor for the FPS in this game. The CPU's multi-threaded capabilities are largely underutilized, as the game likely relies more on a few powerful cores.

Given the GPU's mid-range status, the CPU has significant headroom. If the RTX 4060 were replaced with a more powerful GPU, the system would likely see higher frame rates, as the CPU would be able to keep up. The data shows that this CPU is not a weak link in the chain for this specific game. Its high boost clock and core count ensure that it can handle the demands of Dave The Diver with ease, leaving the GPU as the primary arbiter of performance.