Laptop size and performance specs for nirvana-like happiness

[STEVE446]

i have several issues going on. I've been a user for about 10 years. Currently i have a 17" Dell laptop with i5 and integrated graphics I got a couple of years ago after assurances from the CA techs that it would be fine to run Home Design Architectural. Well, it's not with the 2017 upgrade to Architectural. Just selecting an object causes the program to rebuild the entire 3D image which can take up to a minute or more making the program unusable. I've upgraded my drivers with little to no improvement. Now my internal power connector is acting up. It wont charge the batteries and i have to scotch tape the power cord in a certain position just to assure AC. So, i'm getting a new laptop. I don't want to spend over $1,000 so to get an i7 quad core and separate graphics processor with 4Megs I'm looking at a 15" laptop. Am I going to be unhappy with that screen size when I'm away from home? I expect to use my old laptop and a TV as external monitors at home. I'm also considering upgrading to Home Designer Pro from Architectural. Is it worth it for the additional features @ $295?  Any other advice would be appreciated. 

[MarkMc]

I ran 15's for years, a bit easier travel. Also use an Asus  DisplayLink monitor on the road. Have a 17 now and it's a bit nicer, size difference is surprisingly little, weight the same. 

That said a few options here around  your budget including I7 and dedicated graphics (even 17s). OS is an add on, $120 for Windows pro. 

http://www.xoticpc.com/custom-gaming-laptops-notebooks-clevo-sager-notebooks-ct-95-51-162#!/dir=asc&limit=100&no_cache=true&order=price

[DavidJPotter]

Home designer titles are not capable of doing Chief Architect Premier type "Ray Traces" no matter what kind of PC or HD software you have. Home Designer Pro offers a wider ability to create any kind of 3D model and roof design but you will have to also upgrade to Premier in order to obtain realistic rendering results, sorry.

 

DJP