Dave The Diver

Dave The Diver, an adventure title released on 2023-06-27, proves remarkably scalable on the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 combination. The data shows a system that is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions, yet the sheer performance headroom at 1080p suggests the CPU is more than capable of feeding this graphics card. The measured frame rates across all settings and resolutions are exceptionally high, positioning this combo as a top-tier performer for this specific game.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1920x1080 to 4K reveals a predictable but pronounced performance cost, characteristic of a GPU-limited scenario at higher pixel counts. At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 305 FPS at 1080p to 230 FPS at 1440p, a decline of 75 FPS. Moving further to 3840x2160, the average falls to 154 FPS, representing a 51% reduction from the 1080p baseline. This scaling pattern is consistent across all graphics presets, indicating that the RTX 4080’s rendering workload is the primary bottleneck as resolution increases.

The gap between 1440p and 4K is notably steeper than the gap between 1080p and 1440p. For instance, at Medium settings, the average frame rate goes from 342 FPS at 1080p to 257 FPS at 1440p, a 25% drop, but then falls to 172 FPS at 4K, a further 33% reduction. This nonlinear scaling is typical for a GPU that begins to exhaust its memory bandwidth and pixel throughput at 4K, despite its substantial 716.8 GB/s bandwidth and 280.6 GPixel/s pixel rate. The 4K results, while still very high, show the game is no longer trivial for the GPU to render.

At Low settings, the performance delta between resolutions is the most extreme, with 408 FPS at 1080p dropping to 307 FPS at 1440p and finally to 206 FPS at 4K. This wide spread suggests that when the graphical load is minimal, the frame rate is less constrained, but the GPU still dominates the scaling curve. The fact that 4K Low (206 FPS) is still higher than 1080p Ultra (269 FPS) highlights the enormous impact of the graphics preset, which is a more significant factor than resolution alone in this configuration. The data clearly indicates that for maximum refresh rates, 1080p is the target, but 4K remains highly playable.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is the decisive component in this combo’s gaming performance. With 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, the GPU provides 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth, which is ample for Dave The Diver’s textures and assets at any resolution tested. The benchmark results show no signs of memory capacity being a limiting factor, as even the 4K Ultra preset maintains a high average of 136 FPS, indicating the frame buffer is not being exhausted. The GPU’s 76 RT cores and 304 Tensor cores are present, though their specific impact on this title is not isolated in the measured data; the standard rasterization performance is the dominant contributor.

The clock speeds of 2205 MHz base and 2505 MHz boost are relatively modest compared to the card’s raw compute capabilities, but the Ada Lovelace architecture’s efficiency is evident in the frame rates. The card’s FP32 throughput of 48.74 TFLOPS is a theoretical peak, and the measured results show it is effectively utilized at 4K, where the 154 FPS High and 136 FPS Ultra scores reflect a heavy shading workload. The GPU’s 112 ROPs are likely the key to sustaining high pixel rates, especially at 4K, where the resolution scaling analysis shows the most significant performance drops.

Interestingly, the RTX 4080’s average benchmark score of 54247 places it in the 86th percentile of all GPUs, and its nearest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER, is virtually identical with a 0.1% delta. This suggests that the standard 4080 is already at the top of its performance tier, and the measured FPS in this game confirm that status. The GPU’s production status is listed as "End-of-life," but its performance in this test is anything but dated, delivering a minimum of 136 FPS even under the heaviest 4K Ultra load. The 1x 16-pin power connector and 700 W suggested PSU indicate a high power draw, but the performance per frame is exceptional.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the benchmark database, this specific combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 achieves a combo rank of 215 out of 3710 tested combinations for Dave The Diver. This places the pairing in the top 5.8% of all systems tested, a remarkable position that underscores the synergy between the 24-core CPU and the high-end GPU. The rank is a holistic measure of the system’s capability in this game, and the high position is directly supported by the measured FPS across all settings.

The CPU’s individual performance is a contributing factor to this high rank. The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus has an average benchmark score of 84003, which is in the 96th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, are nearly identical in average score, with a delta of only 0.2%, meaning the 290K Plus offers a marginal but measurable performance edge. This slight CPU advantage, combined with the RTX 4080’s top-tier GPU performance, helps the combo achieve its rank.

The combo rank of 215 is especially impressive given the GPU’s individual percentile rank of 86. This discrepancy suggests that the CPU is not holding the GPU back; rather, the 290K Plus’s strong multi-core and single-core scores are providing an excellent platform for the GPU to operate at its full potential. The fact that the GPU is in the 86th percentile but the combo is in the top 5.8% indicates that the CPU is improving the overall system performance beyond what the GPU alone would suggest. This is a classic sign of a balanced, high-end build without a bottleneck.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for the highest frame rates?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 yields the highest average frame rates, with a peak of 408 FPS at Low settings and 305 FPS at High settings. This resolution is optimal for users prioritizing maximum refresh rates.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Dave The Diver?

A: Yes, the measured results at 3840x2160 show very playable frame rates, with 154 FPS at High and 136 FPS at Ultra settings. The system is fully capable of a smooth 4K experience.

Q: How does the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus compare to its closest rival?

A: The 290K Plus has an average benchmark score of 84003, which is 0.2% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K. This indicates a slight performance advantage for the 290K Plus in general benchmarks.

Q: How much memory does the RTX 4080 have and is it sufficient?

A: The GPU has 16 GB of GDDR6X memory. The benchmark results show no performance degradation at higher resolutions, indicating that the 16 GB capacity is sufficient for this game.

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

A: The only recorded minimum FPS values are at Medium settings. The lowest minimum is 146 FPS at 4K, with 219 FPS at 1440p and 290 FPS at 1080p, showing no frame rate drops below playable thresholds.

Q: Why is the combo rank higher than the GPU's individual percentile?

A: The combo rank of 215 out of 3710 considers the combined performance of the CPU and GPU. The CPU’s high percentile rank (96th) complements the GPU’s performance, resulting in a system that performs better than the GPU alone might suggest.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus serves as a formidable foundation for this gaming system. With 24 cores and 24 threads, it provides substantial multi-threaded processing power, though Dave The Diver primarily relies on single-core performance for game logic. The CPU’s high boost clock of 5.80 GHz is a critical factor in ensuring that the game’s main thread is processed as quickly as possible, preventing any CPU-induced bottlenecks. The single-core benchmark results, such as 736 in Cinebench R15 and 4823 in Passmark, are strong indicators of this capability.

The processor’s 36 MB of shared L3 cache is another advantage, providing a large pool of fast memory for frequently accessed game data. This is complemented by 3 MB of L2 cache per core, which helps reduce latency for individual threads. The CPU’s memory support for DDR5 with a dual-channel bus and 115.2 GB/s bandwidth ensures that data can be fed to the GPU quickly, although the game’s performance is more dependent on the GPU at higher resolutions. The 3 nm TSMC process node and 17,800 million transistors contribute to the CPU’s efficiency and high clock speeds.

The CPU’s overall average benchmark score of 84003 places it in the 96th percentile of all processors, and its nearest rivals are all within a 1.3% delta. This indicates that the 290K Plus is at the very top of the consumer CPU performance hierarchy. In the context of Dave The Diver, the CPU’s role is to provide a stable platform that never limits the GPU. The measured FPS at 1080p, where CPU load is highest relative to GPU load, shows no signs of a CPU bottleneck, with the system reaching 408 FPS at Low settings, proving the processor can keep up with the RTX 4080’s output.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal balance between visual quality and performance is achieved at High settings. At 4K, High settings deliver 154 FPS, which is significantly smoother than the 136 FPS at Ultra, while still providing a substantial visual improvement over Medium’s 172 FPS. The difference between High and Ultra is a 12% performance drop, which may not be worth the marginal visual gain for most users. At 1440p, High settings provide 230 FPS, which is an excellent target for high-refresh-rate monitors, and the step down to Medium at 257 FPS offers only a small improvement.

For users with 1080p displays, High settings are again the recommended choice, yielding 305 FPS. While Low settings push this to 408 FPS, the visual fidelity loss is likely too significant for most players. The Medium setting at 1080p provides a minimum FPS of 290, which is still incredibly smooth, but the High preset’s average of 305 FPS is a better overall experience. The Ultra preset, while offering the highest quality, drops the average to 269 FPS at 1080p, which is still excellent but represents a 12% decrease from High.

The data suggests that High is the "sweet spot" for this system. It consistently offers a frame rate that is more than double the refresh rate of a standard 60 Hz monitor and is sufficient for 144 Hz and even some 240 Hz displays at 1440p. The 4K High setting of 154 FPS is particularly noteworthy, as it enables high-refresh-rate 4K gaming. The only scenario where a different setting is recommended is if a user prioritizes absolute maximum frame rates over visual detail, in which case Low at 1080p provides 408 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following data is directly from the benchmark measurements for Dave The Diver with the specified hardware.

At 1920x1080, the average FPS across settings are:

• Low: 408 FPS
• Medium: 342 FPS (min 290, max 393)
• High: 305 FPS
• Ultra: 269 FPS

At 2560x1440, the average FPS across settings are:

• Low: 307 FPS
• Medium: 257 FPS (min 219, max 296)
• High: 230 FPS
• Ultra: 203 FPS

At 3840x2160, the average FPS across settings are:

• Low: 206 FPS
• Medium: 172 FPS (min 146, max 198)
• High: 154 FPS
• Ultra: 136 FPS

The Medium settings are the only preset with recorded minimum and maximum FPS values. The lowest minimum FPS recorded across all tests is 146 FPS at 4K Medium, which is still comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The highest maximum FPS is 408 FPS at 1080p Low, demonstrating the extreme headroom at lower resolutions. The gaps between settings are consistent, with Ultra being the most demanding and Low being the least, allowing for a clear progression of performance scaling.