Sounds like the laptop should suffice for basic resolve lite duties/learning.
@Joseph: I also had resolve installed on an old Sony laptop that barely met the minimum requirements… 8gb GT425M 1st gen i7. Would play back HD media fine, but the minute I thew a color correction at it, it would chug… Just bought a new top of the line Lenovo y500 with dual GT650’s and it’s actually quite workable… Except for monitoring. Might try a USB Intensity at it just for fun… 🙂