Hey Alan,
Wel that aligns with me getting about 40 in 10 hrs which is good. Remember and keep an eye on number of generations though. Also definitely try and get a few running at the same time on each computer and check that it doesn’t slow the reactors too much.
re vps well that depends on how many reactors you want to run at the same time. I would think that with your two laptops you should be able to run 3-4 reactors simultaneously one each so that may be enough for you (it’s plenty really).
I wouldn’t get anything fancy.
You probably have enough power without but if you did want to go that route then being able to run 4-8 reactors 24/7 is plenty in my opinion so a 4-6 core would be a good choice.
Determine how you want to use EA studio etc first before deciding what you need.
You do probably have enough computing power already if you are happy to leave them on 24/7 but I guess I am just thinking screens draw a lot of unnecessary power in this case so possibly not a very elegant long term solution.
but you could maybe just opt for one and try it for a month and see how it suits you, can cancel at any point?