Would like EastWest orchestral Instruments - But can't grasp soft synths or my hardware

To Begin:  My laptop is an Intel I-5 M-540 2.53 Quad core 8 gigs of ram 2 Hard drives and willing to upgrade to an SSD if necessary.  Firewire 1394 Bus.  What I don't have is USB 3  ( I see all of their software is on USB 3 drives ).... 
 
 
Now,  I don't understand soft synths.  All I have are what came with X3 Producer and Platinum. 
I have had some success at  Addictive drums.  
 
I have to admit, as far as DAW's go, I'm a generation behind just about everyone here so old habits are hard to break and I spend more time reading manuals and checking video tutorials sometimes than accomplishing anything.
 
I work with midi files,  either playing directly or importing them because this gives me the most flexibility for my needs as far as tempo, tuning, key shifts, etc.   I've tried to experiment with loading soft synths but I get extremely frustrated, start running out of time and revert back to my hardware midi synths.
 
Would I need a player from East West, or do I need Dimension Pro or one of those that I'd upgrade with Cakewalk?
 
Realistically, I'd probably use between 8 - 10 tracks on a typical project,  but could foresee 16 or more tracks once I get used to this and actually am able to  become what I consider "proficient" at Sonar.  
 
I was thinking about another rack synth like the Yamaha Motif XS - and then read a post about a guy dumping his Motif ES Rack hardware for East West Orchestra.   I listened to some of their examples and was blown away.
 
I could just imagine what could be done with the East West Orchestra and Choir Software.
 
I'd appreciate some feedback if this is feasible,  and "what else" I'd need to avoid any surprises.  I just want to try and grasp what I'd really need.
 
 
 
 
 
 

Ewql Gold is a good place to start.
The library requires you to use their Play sample player engine.. latest version on their website.

Good luck

woodsglen
OK..  Since my hardware did not send up any red flags - which is what I was afraid off,  I think I should take the plunge and start off with cloud for a month and at least see how it works with my machines, and use the pieces I have ready to go for the upcoming season and experiment with them.
 
Thanks for the replies and feedback.   
Best Regards!
WG

THAT is a GREAT plan of attack! 

Are you able to upgrade the RAM on your laptop? That's frequently a bottleneck when it comes to using large sample libraries. Although having never used a large orchestral library myself I have no idea really how much RAM they require. Generally though, the more the better. 8GB is a little on the small size these days, although I suspect it might be fine for 8-10 tracks. 

One of the problems with most laptops is they max out at 8 Gb...

But there are a few that will handle 16 gb...

The i5 shouldn't hold you back as long as it isn't speed limited by a power saving mode. No USB3 will only be a potential problem if you are trying to use 24bit samples off of the external USB drive.
 
Since you mostly do midi and render when done, real time recording won't be an issue for you. But if you ever decide you need to start doing it, replacing your laptop's HDD with an SSD will work wonders. You can get a 1TB Samsung 850 EVO for $349 currently, which is as low as I've seen it.
 
I'd suggest trying the cloud subscription before spending on upgrades.
 
Regards,
Dan

if you join the Composer Cloud at the moment you get one month free access to the askvideo.com east west course, which I assume will do what you want...I am very tempted also by this as just finished paying off my stage piano and have enough cash floating around for the monthly subscription...

You're a teacher, Dan