3D views choppy

I installed HD Pro 2012 trial on a Toshiba laptop with AMD E-300 CPU at 1.3Ghz, 3GB RAM, and integrated video. After creating a sample drawing I generated a 3D ortho Full Overview and was able to rotate the drawing in any direction smoothly and quickly.

I then purchased a new laptop with Core i7 cpu at 2.2 Ghz, 8GB RAM, and Nvidia video card with 2GB video RAM. After installing the trial version on that machine and recreating the same drawing and 3D view, the rotating was extremely choppy. If I move the mouse, it took a couple seconds for the video to catch up.

SO I returned the Core i7 PC and purchased a PC with Core i5 CPU at 2.5Ghz, 6GB RAM, and integrated video. I installed the trial version a third time and experienced the same results.

Is there a compatibility problem between the HD Pro 2012 software and Intel CPUs, or is there something else wrong here?

The Toshiba that worked OK is also relatively new, but does not belong to me. I just assumed that a faster CPU would work better anyway.

I intended to purchase the software after successfully proving that it will do what I needed it to do (I need to be able to remodel an attic space), but if the video problem cannot be corrected it would be a moot point and the purchase will not be worthwhile.

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Originally Posted by rfcomm2k

I returned the Core i7 PC and purchased a PC with Core i5 CPU at 2.5Ghz, 6GB RAM, and integrated video.

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Integrated video isn't going to cut it for the Home Designer programs, and 3D Camera views are where you'll really notice the difference.

Minimum requirements call for at least 256MB dedicated, but the recommended is actually for 1GB.

http://www.chiefarchitect.com/products/sysreq.html

3-D performance is determined not be CPU speed but rather by the quality of one's video hardware (video card) and how fast and how well it can process video (pictorial) data per second.
Kat mentioned "...at least 256 Mb dedicated,...", my video card has 1 Gb and is quite adequate, anything less than 1 Gb will give less performance. Many laptop makers will advertise large amounts of video support in terms of Mb or Gb but you have to look past the sales pitch to see that this is not dedicated support but integrated support (the video card shares RAM with the rest of the Motherboard which always then delivers poor performance for Chief Architect and Home Designer software).

Home Designer software is relatively inexpensive but does require above average PC hardware to support its functioning well.

DJP

Thank you both for the reply, but I fail to see why the FIRST laptop I purchased, the one with the separate Nvidia graphics card with 2GB of RAM ALSO failed to produce smooth scrolling in 3D views. The original PC I tried this on was a Toshiba Satellite C655D-S5518. It has a Radeon graphics engine on the motherboard, not a separate video card. The Toshiba specs for that laptop state it has "384MB-1459MB dynamically allocated shared graphics memory". In other words it shares the system RAM. And it functioned flawlessly.
I still think there must be a compatibility issue with the Intel graphics on the motherboard which I currently have.

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Originally Posted by rfcomm2k

I fail to see why the FIRST laptop I purchased, the one with the separate Nvidia graphics card with 2GB of RAM ALSO failed to produce smooth scrolling in 3D views.

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Don't really have enough information on that system to comment. Are you sure the NVidia was the only video on that computer?

Some laptops have both an integrated chipset, which is used when the laptop isn't plugged in (to conserve battery life), and an actual video card which is used when it's plugged in.