Dave The Diver

Dave The Diver, an adventure title released on 2023-06-27, presents an interesting case study in system scaling due to its relatively modest graphical demands. The benchmark data for the Intel Core i7-14700KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 shows a configuration that delivers exceptionally high frame rates across all tested settings and resolutions. The data indicates a system that is rarely stressed by the game itself, with performance characteristics that suggest the CPU and GPU are both operating well within their respective comfort zones. This analysis will break down the measured FPS figures, examine the scaling behavior, and contextualize the results against the broader database of tested combinations.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS progression from 1080p to 4K reveals a classic pattern of GPU-bound scaling, though the absolute numbers remain remarkably high throughout. At 1080p with High settings, the combo produces 257.5 FPS. Moving to 1440p drops that to 196.7 FPS, a reduction of approximately 23.6%. Stepping up to 4K High yields 129.1 FPS, which represents a further 34.4% decrease from the 1440p figure. This consistent decline with increasing pixel count indicates that the GPU is becoming the primary limiting factor as resolution rises, but even at 4K, the frame rates are far above what most displays can show.

The low settings preset tells a similar story with even higher absolute numbers. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 344.8 FPS. This drops to 258.6 FPS at 1440p and 174.2 FPS at 4K. The scaling pattern across resolutions is remarkably linear, with each step up in resolution costing roughly 25-30% performance. This suggests the game is not hitting any hard architectural bottleneck, but rather scaling predictably with the number of pixels being rendered. The fact that 4K Low still produces 174.2 FPS strongly suggests that even at the highest resolution, the limiting factor is not the CPU but rather the GPU's raw pixel throughput.

The Ultra settings show the most pronounced resolution sensitivity. From 227.7 FPS at 1080p, the frame rate falls to 173.9 FPS at 1440p and then to 113 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 23.6%, while the drop from 1440p to 4K is 35.0%. This indicates that the game's Ultra preset increases the GPU workload disproportionately at higher resolutions, likely due to more demanding shading and post-processing effects that scale with pixel count. The 4K Ultra figure of 113 FPS remains perfectly playable, but it does show the GPU starting to work harder relative to the lower settings.

FAQ

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

A: At High settings, the average FPS drops from 257.5 at 1080p to 129.1 at 4K, representing a 49.9% reduction in performance. This shows a significant resolution penalty, but the absolute 4K figure remains well above 60 FPS.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare to High at the same resolution?

A: At 1440p, Ultra produces 173.9 FPS while High produces 196.7 FPS, meaning Ultra is 11.6% slower. At 4K, Ultra produces 113 FPS versus 129.1 FPS for High, a 12.5% difference. The consistent gap indicates that the Ultra preset adds a fairly uniform workload increase across resolutions.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this game?

A: The data suggests the GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions. At 1080p Low, the system produces 344.8 FPS, which is exceptionally high. The linear scaling with resolution and the lack of any sudden performance cliff indicates the CPU is not constraining the system, even at the highest frame rates.

Q: What is the best resolution to play at for a balance of quality and performance?

A: At 1440p Ultra, the system produces 173.9 FPS, which is well above refresh rate limits of most monitors while still offering the highest visual quality preset. For 4K users, High settings at 129.1 FPS offer a better balance than Ultra's 113 FPS, unless maximum fidelity is the absolute priority.

Q: How does the combo rank compared to other tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 293 out of 1626 tested combinations, placing it in the top 18% of all tested systems. This indicates it is a high-performing configuration, though not the absolute top-tier in the database.

Q: Does the game scale well with lower settings?

A: Yes, the scaling is very predictable. At 1080p, moving from Ultra (227.7 FPS) to Low (344.8 FPS) yields a 51.4% increase in performance. At 4K, the same settings change produces a 54.2% increase from 113 FPS to 174.2 FPS. This consistent scaling gives players clear performance headroom to adjust settings.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 is a Blackwell 2.0 architecture GPU built on a 5 nm process at TSMC. It features 12 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 672.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's base clock is 2325 MHz with a boost clock of 2512 MHz, and it has a 250 W TDP. In Dave The Diver, the GPU's role is clearly central, given that frame rates scale predictably with resolution and settings. The 12 GB VRAM capacity is more than sufficient for this game, as evidenced by the lack of any anomalous performance drops that might indicate memory capacity limits at 4K Ultra.

The benchmark results for the GPU show a PassMark G3D score of 29137, which places it in the 83rd percentile of all GPUs. Interestingly, the nearest rivals by average benchmark score include the AMD Radeon Pro 5300 (0.2% higher), NVIDIA Tesla M40 (-0.5% lower), and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 (0.6% higher). This suggests that in synthetic benchmarks, the RTX 5070 performs at a level comparable to the RTX 3090, though the measured game performance indicates it handles Dave The Diver with substantial headroom. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 5077 provides additional context on its raw rendering capability. The measured FPS figures, particularly the 344.8 FPS at 1080p Low, indicate that the GPU is rarely the limiting factor at lower resolutions, but at 4K Ultra, the 113 FPS result shows the GPU working harder to maintain high frame rates.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 293 out of 1626 tested combinations places it in the 82nd percentile of all tested systems. This is a strong result, indicating that the Intel Core i7-14700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 combination is well-matched for this title. The fact that it ranks this highly despite the game being relatively easy to run suggests that the high frame rates achieved are a function of both strong single-threaded CPU performance and ample GPU throughput. The CPU's percentile rank of 96 among all CPUs and the GPU's 83rd percentile ranking both contribute to this top-tier result.

The rank of 293 out of 1626 means that 1333 other combinations perform worse in this game, while 292 perform better. This places the combo firmly in the upper echelon of tested systems, though there is still room for improvement at the very top. The data shows that this configuration delivers over 100 FPS at 4K Ultra, which is a benchmark many systems would struggle to reach. This suggests that the combo is not only well-balanced but also has enough raw performance to handle the game's most demanding settings at the highest resolutions without dropping below playable frame rates.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700KF is a 20-core, 28-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, built on a 10 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, with 33 MB of shared L3 cache. The CPU's benchmark scores are strong, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 44557 and a single-core score of 6290, placing it in the 96th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals by average benchmark score include the Intel Core i7-14700K (0.0% delta), AMD EPYC 9115 (0.3% higher), and AMD Ryzen 9 9950X (-0.4% lower), indicating that it performs essentially identically to the i7-14700K and is competitive with newer AMD parts.

In Dave The Diver, the CPU's role is less prominent than the GPU's, given the game's modest requirements. The fact that the system achieves 344.8 FPS at 1080p Low without any apparent CPU bottleneck suggests that the 20 cores and high boost clock are more than sufficient for this title. The game likely uses only a few threads for its main logic, meaning the high single-core performance of 6290 in Cinebench R23 is the more critical factor. The CPU's ability to maintain high frame rates at 1080p, where the GPU is less burdened, indicates that it is not a limiting factor in this configuration. The data suggests that even a less powerful CPU could likely achieve similar frame rates at higher resolutions, but the 14700KF's strong performance ensures there is no headroom concern even at the lowest settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system produces its highest frame rates. The Low preset yields 344.8 FPS, Medium produces 289.3 FPS, High achieves 257.5 FPS, and Ultra delivers 227.7 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra is 117.1 FPS, showing a 51.4% performance range. This indicates that the settings have a significant impact on performance, but even the most demanding preset at 1080p produces frame rates far beyond what any current display can show (typically capped at 240 Hz or 360 Hz for the highest-end monitors).

At 2560x1440, the frame rates remain exceptionally high. Low settings produce 258.6 FPS, Medium produces 217.6 FPS, High achieves 196.7 FPS, and Ultra delivers 173.9 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra is 84.7 FPS, a 48.7% difference. The 1440p results show a more compressed range than 1080p, with the Ultra preset still providing 173.9 FPS. This resolution is likely the sweet spot for this configuration, as it offers high visual fidelity at frame rates that exceed refresh rate capabilities of most gaming monitors.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates drop but remain highly playable. Low settings produce 174.2 FPS, Medium produces 146.3 FPS, High achieves 129.1 FPS, and Ultra delivers 113 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra is 61.2 FPS, a 54.2% difference. The 4K results show that the GPU is starting to become more of a limiting factor, but all presets remain above 100 FPS. The Ultra preset at 113 FPS is particularly notable, as it demonstrates that this configuration can handle the game's maximum visual quality at 4K with substantial performance headroom. The consistent scaling across all resolutions and settings confirms that this is a well-balanced system for Dave The Diver, capable of delivering high frame rates regardless of the visual configuration chosen.