Dave The Diver

Dave The Diver is not a demanding title by modern standards, but the data for the Intel Core i9-14900K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 combination reveals a system that is heavily GPU-bound at every resolution tested. The benchmark results show a performance ceiling dictated almost entirely by the graphics card, with the 24-core CPU providing ample headroom to avoid becoming a bottleneck. This pairing delivers exceptionally high frame rates across the board, making it a top-tier choice for this game, ranking in the top 23% of all tested combinations.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1080p to 4K demonstrates a classic GPU-limited scaling curve. At 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, the combo produces an average of 211 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same settings drops the average to 158 FPS, a reduction of 53 FPS (approximately 25%). The jump to 3840x2160 at Ultra yields an average of 106 FPS, which is another 52 FPS lower (approximately 33% less than the 1440p result). This consistent, significant drop with each resolution increase is the signature of a system where the RTX 4070 is the limiting factor.

The pattern holds across all settings presets. For instance, at High settings, the frame rate falls from 238 FPS at 1080p to 179 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 120 FPS at 4K. Similarly, at Low settings, the average drops from 319 FPS at 1080p to 240 FPS at 1440p and then to 161 FPS at 4K. The data shows that the CPU, with its 32 threads and 6.0 GHz boost clock, is never the constraint here; if it were, we would see frame rates plateau or scale more linearly with resolution. Instead, the proportional decreases in performance directly correlate with the increased pixel count, indicating the GPU's rendering throughput is the primary determinant of final FPS.

The scaling from 1440p to 4K is particularly telling. At Medium settings, the average FPS drops from 201 to 135, a 66 FPS decline. This 33% performance hit is larger than the 25% drop seen when moving from 1080p to 1440p, suggesting that at 4K, the GPU is working near its limits, and the additional pixel load causes a more than linear impact on its output. The Core i9-14900K's high single-core performance, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2262.5, ensures that even at lower resolutions where the CPU might be expected to matter more, the GPU remains the bottleneck.

Settings Recommendations

For users with a 4K display, the Ultra preset is the most demanding option, yielding an average of 106 FPS. While this is playable, the High preset at 120 FPS offers a better balance, providing a 14 FPS performance increase for what is likely a minimal visual difference in a game with this art style. The Low preset at 161 FPS offers the highest refresh rate potential but sacrifices visual fidelity unnecessarily. The most efficient choice for 4K is the High preset, as it maintains a comfortable margin above 120 FPS while still delivering a high-quality image.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset's 158 FPS average is an excellent target for high-refresh-rate monitors. However, the Medium preset at 201 FPS is the standout recommendation for competitive play or maximum smoothness. The jump from Ultra to Medium yields a 43 FPS improvement, which is substantial. The Low preset at 240 FPS is only for those seeking the absolute highest frame rates, as the visual compromise is significant. For most users at 1440p, the High preset at 179 FPS offers a sweet spot, delivering a 21 FPS boost over Ultra while still looking nearly identical.

At 1920x1080, all presets deliver exceptionally high frame rates. The Ultra preset's 211 FPS is more than enough for any display. The Medium preset at 267 FPS and Low preset at 319 FPS are overkill for most scenarios but are available for users with 360Hz or higher refresh rate monitors. Given the minimal visual differences between presets in Dave The Diver, the High preset at 238 FPS is the logical starting point. It provides a strong visual experience while leaving ample performance headroom. The data suggests that the Ultra preset is not worth the 27 FPS cost over High, as the graphical enhancements are likely not perceptible at this frame rate.

FAQ

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

A: Yes, the measured data shows an average of 120 FPS at 3840x2160 with High settings, making it an excellent experience for 4K gaming.

Q: What is the best settings preset for a 1440p high-refresh-rate monitor?

A: The Medium preset at 2560x1440 achieves an average of 201 FPS (with a minimum of 171 FPS), which is ideal for 144Hz or 165Hz displays. The High preset at 179 FPS is also a very strong option.

Q: Is the Intel Core i9-14900K a bottleneck for the RTX 4070 in this game?

A: The benchmark results indicate no CPU bottleneck. The frame rates scale consistently with GPU load across resolutions, and the CPU's high performance (e.g., 39399.5 in Cinebench R23 multicore) ensures it is not the limiting factor.

Q: How does the performance at 1080p compare to 4K?

A: At Ultra settings, the average frame rate drops from 211 FPS at 1920x1080 to 106 FPS at 3840x2160, a 105 FPS reduction. This highlights the significant load increase on the GPU at higher resolutions.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded in the tests?

A: The lowest minimum FPS recorded was 114 FPS, which occurred at 3840x2160 with Medium settings. All other tested presets had no reported minimum below this threshold.

Q: Is the Ultra preset necessary for a good experience?

A: No, the data shows that High settings provide a significantly higher average frame rate at all resolutions (e.g., 120 FPS vs 106 FPS at 4K) with likely minimal visual degradation, making it the more efficient choice.

How This Combo Ranks

The Core i9-14900K and RTX 4070 combination is ranked 846 out of 3710 tested combos for Dave The Diver. This places it in the top 22.8% of all configurations, which is a strong result for a mid-to-high-end pairing. The ranking reflects that this system is significantly more powerful than the majority of tested hardware, ensuring a smooth and high-fidelity experience.

This high rank is consistent with the component's individual standings. The RTX 4070 sits in the 81st percentile of all GPUs, while the Core i9-14900K is in the 95th percentile of all CPUs. The combination of a top-5% CPU and a top-20% GPU results in a system that is well-balanced for this particular game, which appears to favor GPU performance. The combo's rank of 846 confirms the RTX 4070's capability, as the game's performance scales are clearly tied to its rendering power rather than the CPU's computational strength.

Compared to its nearest rivals on average benchmark scores, the RTX 4070 (avg score 37648) is nearly identical to the NVIDIA Tesla P4 (37628, +0.1%) and the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 (37507, +0.4%). It is slightly behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile (38135, -1.3%). This granular data suggests that while the RTX 4070 is a capable card, its raw compute power is closely matched by some older or mobile counterparts, yet in Dave The Diver, its modern architecture and features (like 12 GB of GDDR6X memory) may contribute to its strong in-game ranking.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is the definitive performance driver in this configuration for Dave The Diver. Its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus provides 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth, which is more than sufficient for the game's texture and asset streaming needs at all tested resolutions. The GPU's 5888 shading units and 64 ROPs are tasked with the heavy lifting, and the benchmark results show they deliver. The card's boost clock of 2475 MHz, up from a base of 1920 MHz, is a key factor in achieving the high frame rates observed.

The RTX 4070's 29.15 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is the raw compute power behind the frame rates. The data shows a clear correlation between resolution and performance, which is the expected behavior when GPU compute is the limiting factor. The card's percentile ranking of 81 places it well above average, and its performance in this game reflects its efficiency. The 200 W TDP and dual-slot design are notable, but the performance per watt is what makes this card effective, as it sustains high clocks without thermal throttling, as evidenced by the consistent FPS in the measurements.

The GPU's memory clock of 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective) and the 12 GB VRAM capacity ensure that the card does not face memory constraints. Even at 4K Ultra, where memory pressure is highest, the average frame rate of 106 FPS indicates that the card is not running out of VRAM. The data suggests that the RTX 4070 is a perfectly matched partner for the Core i9-14900K in this title, providing the vast majority of the gaming performance without any apparent bottlenecks or limitations.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the Core i9-14900K and RTX 4070 deliver exceptional performance across all presets. The Low setting achieves an average of 319 FPS. The Medium setting averages 267 FPS, with a recorded minimum of 227 FPS and a maximum of 307 FPS. The High setting averages 238 FPS. The Ultra setting is the most demanding at this resolution, with an average of 211 FPS. These figures show that at 1080p, the system is almost always limited by the game's engine or the GPU's rendering pipeline, not by the CPU.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains very high. The Low preset averages 240 FPS. The Medium preset averages 201 FPS, with a minimum of 171 FPS and a maximum of 231 FPS. The High preset averages 179 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 158 FPS. The minimum FPS at Medium (171 FPS) is still well above the refresh rate of most high-end monitors, indicating a very stable experience. The step from Medium to High costs 22 FPS, and from High to Ultra costs another 21 FPS, showing a predictable scaling pattern.

At 3840x2160, the system still provides a highly playable experience. The Low preset averages 161 FPS. The Medium preset averages 135 FPS, with its minimum at 114 FPS and maximum at 155 FPS. The High preset averages 120 FPS, which is a key target for 120Hz displays. The Ultra preset averages 106 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 55 FPS, which is the largest range of any resolution, underscoring the GPU's workload at 4K. The 114 FPS minimum at Medium is the lowest single data point recorded, but it still represents a smooth experience.