DAVE THE DIVER PC Hardware Guide
Official requirements explained
The official minimum asks for an Intel Core i3 dual-core processor, an NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 or AMD Radeon HD 5570 graphics card, 8 GB of RAM and 10 GB of storage, and states that an SSD is not required. By today's standards these parts are very old entry-level hardware, roughly on the level of Intel UHD Graphics 630 or an early budget graphics card. The game should launch and run on that, but there is very little headroom.
The official recommended tier moves up to an Intel Core i5 six-core or i7 quad-core processor, an NVIDIA GTX 1060 3GB or AMD RX 480, 16 GB of RAM, the same 10 GB of storage, and again no SSD requirement. The GTX 1060 3GB is an older entry-level graphics card, so a PC that meets the recommended tier is still enough for this game today, though it is not a high-end setup.
The most useful thing to notice is that the CPU step is more important than the GPU step. Late-game unit and simulation work grows, and processor core count tends to become the bottleneck before the graphics card does. If your budget is tight, making sure the CPU reaches the recommended level is a better use of money than buying a stronger GPU. The publisher does not list any tier above the recommended one, so anything beyond that is your own judgement.
Recommended builds for three budgets
The entry build suits players on a lower budget who play mainly at 1080p and accept adjusting graphics settings. A GTX 1650 4GB, GTX 1660 or RTX 3050 6GB pairs well with a quad-core such as the Ryzen 3 3100, Core i3-10100F or Ryzen 5 3500X, with 16 GB of RAM. This combination comfortably clears the official recommended tier.
The mainstream build is for people who also use the PC for everyday work and want the game to run smoothly at most settings. A GTX 1660 Super, RTX 3050 8GB or RX 5600 XT with a Ryzen 5 3600 or Core i5-10400, plus 16 GB of RAM, gives more breathing room in busy late-game scenes and is the best value of the three.
The high build is for extra headroom or for running other demanding games. An RTX 3060 Ti, RX 6700 XT or RTX 4060 with a Ryzen 5 5600 or Core i5-12400 and 32 GB of RAM goes well beyond what this title requires, but it makes sense if the same machine is used for heavier games.
Graphics settings with the biggest impact
In this kind of game, the heaviest options are usually the ones tied to world simulation rather than texture quality alone. Unit draw distance, crowd or creature density and physics simulation detail all add CPU load, and they become more noticeable as the map grows and the number of units increases. If performance drops, lowering these is usually more effective than lowering textures.
On the GPU side, shadow quality, volumetric lighting and various post-processing effects tend to cost the most. Volumetric effects are especially noticeable in underwater scenes, and reducing them a step usually changes little about how the game feels. If ray tracing is offered, its benefit in a game like this is generally small, so turning it off frees resources for more useful options.
Upscaling technologies such as NVIDIA DLSS, AMD FSR and Intel XeSS render at a lower internal resolution and reconstruct the image at your output resolution. In general this lightens the graphics card's load with only a modest loss in image quality, so enabling a medium-quality upscaler is a sensible step if your card supports it. Keep in mind that upscaling mainly eases GPU load and will not do much for a CPU bottleneck.
Laptops and handheld PCs
A laptop graphics chip sharing a desktop model's name is usually slower, because power limits and cooling in a thin chassis hold it back. When judging whether a laptop meets the official tiers, treat it more conservatively than the desktop name suggests, and make sure the machine is set to its high-performance power mode. Sustained play can also trigger throttling when cooling is poor, so keeping vents clear and cleaning dust regularly helps stability.
Handheld PCs such as the Steam Deck or ROG Ally use integrated processor and graphics designs, and at equal names they generally trail a desktop card from the same generation. These devices are best played at lower settings and smaller resolutions, and their adjustable power limits let you trade battery life against performance. FrameScope has no handheld verification data for this title, so treat this as general guidance; results depend on the specific model and settings.
Storage and memory
The official recommended memory is 16 GB, with 8 GB as the minimum. With a modern operating system running alongside, 8 GB gets tight quickly, so 16 GB is the safer target. Install RAM as a dual-channel pair in the correct slots to get better bandwidth, which helps CPU-heavy games in particular.
The listed 10 GB of storage covers the base installation only. Leave extra room for updates, save files and temporary data. An SSD is not required, but it noticeably shortens loading and scene transitions, so if the budget allows it is the better home for the game. An HDD will still run the game, just with longer waits.
Avoid installing on a nearly full drive, since low free space can interfere with updates and cache writes and cause stutter or launch problems. Keeping a sensible margin of free space is a simple way to keep the game stable over time.