Dave The Diver

# Dave The Diver: Intel Core i9-14900K + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050

The Intel Core i9-14900K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 delivers a remarkably smooth experience in Dave The Diver, a game that leans heavily on CPU performance due to its simulation-heavy underwater ecology. The data shows this combo lands at rank 1725 out of 2867 tested combinations, placing it in the upper-middle tier of all systems. With 24 cores and 32 threads running at a base clock of 3.20 GHz and boosting up to 6.00 GHz, the processor provides substantial headroom for the game's dynamic systems, while the GPU's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 320.0 GB/s bandwidth handle the visual presentation. This analysis examines how these components interact across resolutions and settings, what the frame rate data reveals about system balance, and where the bottlenecks actually lie.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i9-14900K is a 24-core, 32-thread desktop processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process node with a die size of 257 mm². Its core configuration includes a substantial L3 cache of 36 MB shared across all cores, complemented by 80 KB of L1 cache and 2 MB of L2 cache per core. Clock speeds range from a 3.20 GHz base to a 6.00 GHz boost, and the processor supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration. The CPU's benchmark results show strong single-threaded performance — a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2262.5 and a Geekbench single-core score of 2655 — which is critical for Dave The Diver's primary game logic thread. Multi-threaded performance is equally robust, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 39399.5 and a Passmark multithread score of 58674.

Dave The Diver is an adventure game that simulates a living underwater ecosystem, meaning the CPU must constantly update fish AI, environmental interactions, and player actions. The data reveals that at 1080p Low settings, the system achieves 206 FPS average, while at 4K Ultra it drops to 68 FPS. The CPU's 95th percentile ranking among all processors suggests it is unlikely to be the limiting factor at higher resolutions, but at 1080p Low, the frame rate ceiling appears to be influenced by the CPU's ability to feed the GPU. The processor's Passmark single-thread score of 4697 and Cinebench R15 single-core score of 324.5 indicate excellent per-core performance, which directly benefits the game's main thread. Compared to its nearest rival, the Intel Core i9-14900KF, this CPU scores 0.3% lower in average benchmark score (79097 vs 79371), while the AMD EPYC 7413 scores 1.2% higher at 80041. The Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus sits 0.6% higher at 79574, and the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 trails by 1.7% at 77740.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This specific combination of the Intel Core i9-14900K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 achieves a combo rank of 1725 out of 2867 tested systems in Dave The Diver. This places it in the 60th percentile of all tested combinations, meaning roughly 40% of the systems tested outperform it. While this ranking might seem modest given the high-end CPU, the data suggests the GPU is the more significant bottleneck in this pairing. The RTX 5050's percentile rank against all GPUs is 66, which is higher than the combo's overall game rank, indicating that other factors — possibly the game's optimization or the specific demands of Dave The Diver's rendering — affect the final result.

The combo's ranking becomes more meaningful when examining the GPU's nearest rivals. The RTX 5050 scores 21035 average across all benchmarks, while the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL scores 21153 (0.6% higher), the AMD Radeon HD 8970M scores 21237 (1% higher), the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT scores 20713 (1.6% lower), and the NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile scores 21379 (1.6% higher). These tight margins indicate the RTX 5050 is positioned in a competitive mid-range segment, and its performance in Dave The Diver reflects this positioning. The measured FPS data shows the system is capable of exceeding 200 FPS at 1080p Low, which is excellent for competitive play, but the ranking suggests that other combinations with different GPU choices may achieve higher frame rates or better consistency in this specific title.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combination achieves in Dave The Diver?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 206, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This drops to 155 FPS at 2560x1440 Low and 104 FPS at 3840x2160 Low.

Q: How does the CPU's single-thread performance impact this game?

A: The i9-14900K's single-thread performance is strong, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2262.5 and a Passmark single-thread score of 4697. This matters because Dave The Diver's game logic likely runs on a primary thread, and the data shows good scaling from 1080p to 4K, suggesting the CPU can keep up with the GPU's demands.

Q: Is the RTX 5050 the bottleneck at 4K Ultra settings?

A: The data suggests the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions. At 3840x2160 Ultra, the average FPS drops to 68, compared to 136 FPS at 1920x1080 Ultra. This 50% reduction in frame rate from 1080p to 4K indicates the GPU's 8 GB VRAM and 320.0 GB/s bandwidth are being stressed.

Q: What is the difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Low settings yield 155 FPS average, while Ultra settings drop to 102 FPS average. This 53 FPS difference represents a 34% performance penalty for the highest visual quality settings.

Q: How does this combo compare to the CPU's nearest rival in performance?

A: The Intel Core i9-14900KF scores 79371 average, which is 0.3% higher than the i9-14900K's 79097. The AMD EPYC 7413 scores 80041 (1.2% higher), while the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 scores 77740 (1.7% lower). These differences are minimal and unlikely to cause noticeable FPS variations in this game.

Q: Does the 8 GB VRAM on the RTX 5050 cause issues at 4K?

A: The data shows playable frame rates at 4K — 77 FPS average on High settings and 68 FPS on Ultra. While 8 GB of GDDR6 memory may limit texture quality in more demanding titles, Dave The Diver's art style and optimization allow for acceptable performance at this resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates across all settings. With Low settings, the average FPS reaches 206, providing an exceptionally smooth experience. Medium settings reduce this to 172 FPS average, with a minimum of 146 FPS and maximum of 198 FPS. High settings yield 154 FPS average, while Ultra settings drop to 136 FPS average. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1080p represents a 34% reduction in frame rate, from 206 to 136 FPS, which is a moderate penalty for the visual quality upgrade.

Moving to 2560x1440, the same pattern persists but with lower absolute numbers. Low settings produce 155 FPS average, Medium settings drop to 129 FPS (with a minimum of 110 and maximum of 149), High settings yield 116 FPS, and Ultra settings bring the average down to 102 FPS. The transition from 1080p to 1440p reduces frame rates by roughly 25% across all settings — for example, High settings drop from 154 to 116 FPS.

At 3840x2160, performance becomes more demanding. Low settings still manage 104 FPS average, Medium settings drop to 87 FPS (with a minimum of 74 and maximum of 100), High settings yield 77 FPS, and Ultra settings dip to 68 FPS average. The data shows that even at 4K, the system remains playable across all settings, which is noteworthy for a mid-range GPU. The Medium settings at 4K have the only recorded minimum and maximum FPS values across all resolutions, with 74 and 100 respectively, indicating some frame time variance at this resolution.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 is based on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture, manufactured on TSMC's 5 nm process node with 16,900 million transistors on a 149 mm² die. The GPU features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 320.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Clock speeds are rated at 2317 MHz base and 2572 MHz boost, with memory running at 2500 MHz (20 Gbps effective). The GPU includes 2560 shading units, 80 TMUs, 32 ROPs, 20 RT cores, and 80 tensor cores, delivering 13.17 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. Its 130 W TDP and single 8-pin power connector make it a relatively power-efficient option, with a suggested PSU of 300 W.

In Dave The Diver, the GPU's role becomes more pronounced as resolution increases. The data shows that at 1080p, the CPU is likely the primary driver of performance, as evidenced by the 206 FPS average at Low settings — a number that suggests the GPU is not being fully utilized. However, at 4K, the GPU's limitations become apparent. The 68 FPS average at 4K Ultra is exactly half of the 136 FPS at 1080p Ultra, indicating the GPU is scaling with resolution as expected. The GPU's Passmark G3D score of 17326 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2502 provide context for its gaming performance, though these synthetic benchmarks don't fully capture the game-specific demands of Dave The Diver's underwater rendering. The GPU's 66th percentile ranking among all GPUs places it in the mid-range tier, which aligns with the measured FPS results.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured FPS data, the Medium settings preset offers the best balance between visual quality and performance across all resolutions. At 1080p, Medium settings deliver 172 FPS average, which is a 31% improvement over Ultra's 136 FPS while providing enhanced visual fidelity over Low's 206 FPS. The Medium preset also has recorded minimum FPS values (146 at 1080p, 110 at 1440p, 74 at 4K), showing it maintains playable frame rates even in demanding scenes.

At 1440p, Medium settings provide 129 FPS average, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay and offers a 21% improvement over Ultra's 102 FPS. For users prioritizing higher frame rates, High settings at 1440p yield 116 FPS, which is still excellent. At 4K, Medium settings produce 87 FPS average, while High settings drop to 77 FPS and Ultra to 68 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K appears to be the sweet spot, balancing the visual improvements with a comfortable frame rate margin above 60 FPS.

The data suggests that High settings provide diminishing returns compared to Medium, with only a 9-13% FPS penalty depending on resolution. For most users, Medium settings offer the best experience, particularly at 1440p and 4K where the additional visual features of High and Ultra have a more pronounced performance cost.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The resolution scaling data reveals important information about where the system's bottleneck lies. At Low settings, the frame rate drops from 206 FPS at 1080p to 155 FPS at 1440p (a 25% reduction) and then to 104 FPS at 4K (a 33% reduction from 1440p). This pattern indicates the GPU is becoming the limiting factor as resolution increases, since the CPU's workload remains relatively constant while the GPU's pixel-pushing demands grow exponentially.

At Ultra settings, the scaling is even more pronounced: 136 FPS at 1080p drops to 102 FPS at 1440p (25% reduction) and then to 68 FPS at 4K (33% reduction). The consistent 25% and 33% reductions across all settings suggest the system is GPU-limited at every resolution, even at 1080p. This is supported by the fact that the CPU is ranked in the 95th percentile among all processors, while the GPU is in the 66th percentile. The i9-14900K's substantial multi-core performance — evidenced by its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 39399.5 and Geekbench multi-core score of 21697 — provides more than enough headroom for Dave The Diver's CPU demands, meaning the RTX 5050 is the primary constraint on frame rates.

The data also reveals that the frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K at Medium settings (172 to 87 FPS, a 49% reduction) is slightly less severe than the drop at Low settings (206 to 104 FPS, a 50% reduction), suggesting that the GPU's memory bandwidth and VRAM capacity play a role in how efficiently it handles higher resolutions. With only 8 GB of VRAM and 320.0 GB/s bandwidth, the RTX 5050 must manage textures and rendering data carefully at 4K, which explains the more significant performance penalty at higher settings.