Hello Adam,
no stupid questions, even I asked many at the beginning :)
There is not really a recommendation for a computer or laptop, mine is similar to yours and with EA Studio it works very fast. Simply, it works on the browser. So it does not really require a lot of resources from the computer. FSB Pro is heavier and might run slower, but just give it a try…
Regarding the strategies, it is all about generating new ones, testing them and placing the best EAs on a live account. Petko shows that in nearly all the courses. I have some EAs running profitably from 5-6 months now…but every day I run the Reactor and leave it. Put on Demo the ones I like, and then I follow results. I palce on the live the ones that perform the best. Simple as that :) Of course to get used with that it was not easy at all.