KDE vs i3 for 15 inch 1280x800 screen

[steezemageeze]

So, my laptop's screen isn't the most up to snuff on the market, oh well, it's 7 years old. I'm debating whether I should keep my Kubuntu install for now or ditch it and install Ubuntu/Debian (I prefer Debian because of the noob stigma surrounding Ubuntu, but that's besides the point), then i3 over top of it and purge Unity. I'm very happy with my Kubuntu install, but I've been frequenting /r/unixporn and these tiling wm's just blow me away. I guess these are my questions:

 

1: Is i3 going to be a good choice on a 15.6 inch 1280x800 display? I feel like it'd get cramped real quick.

 

2: If I go with Debian, which DE should I pick as the base, based on the DM/login manager (those still confuse me) and being able to add myself to the Sudoers file just by clicking "Admin" in the account settings (I know GNOME can do that, but I also know MATE can't)

 

3: Can I just install i3 on my current system? I'd really like to, but I've had an issue with i3 and KDE, where the background of i3 is the KDM (I think? Idk what DM KDE uses honestly) login screen and I'm not sure whether I can change that or not. This happens with both Kubuntu and Manjaro KDE edition so I know it's a KDE problem.

 

Thanks, any help would be appreciated!

 

Also gonna leave a poll just for simplicity's sake

[steezemageeze]

Also, just FYI, I probably won't be checking this thread until tomorrow morning. Gotta get some sleep so I can blow off all my work at school lol