Would like to learn Resolve, will this MacBook Pro work?

I am new to video editing, and would like to learn DaVinci Resolve. I am currently not in a position to purchase a dedicated computer to run Resolve, based on the recommended system requirements. I do not need to work in high resolutions, since I am just learning the program, and not doing this professionally.

The computer that I have to work with is:
late 2011 15 inch quad-core MacBook Pro i7 (2.4Ghz)
8GB RAM
AMD Radeon HD6770M GPU (1GB VRAM)
external FW800 drive for media
internal ssd for OS and program files
operating system is OS-X Sierra

I am currently using Resolve 14.0

At the moment, it seems to work.....sort of. It can run slowly though (doing basic editing). I need to know if upping the RAM to 16GB, and/or adding an internal drive in the optical bay for media will make a significant improvement. Or, since it is an underpowered computer (for Resolve) to begin with, will upgradeing it only give a minimal boost in performance?

I also have just read of using optimized media, as well as smart cache and proxies, to help Resolve to run faster. I will give that a try as well, however would still like to know if it is worthwhile to upgrade the computer.

Thanks in advance.

[Peter Chamberlain]

16GB ram will assist but your biggest bottleneck is the 1GB of GPU memory and that model GPU.
Stick to 720p res timelines might help. Try v14.3 too.