Laptop specs question for Cubase 5 question

I’m wondering what the minimum laptop specs are in order to run Cubase 5 smoothly and relatively unhindered.

Currently I’ve 4gb of RAM, but the processor maxes out after merely a few tracks as soon as I add reverb, or other demanding effects. Yet the processor is good enough to multitask pretty big. Say multiple browser tabs and graphics applications open without problem.

This led me to think that Cubase requires a pretty highend processor to take advantage of fully, or nearly fully.

If I wanted to create a project with, say 16 tracks, including both audio and midi tracks, with layered basses and drums, plus reverb and other effects on several of them, would a core i3 processor do, or would it have to be a core i5? Pls don’t say it requires a core i7 as that’d be beyond what I could shell out for now;)

Plus how many gigs of RAM would such ‘bigger’ project need?

And I mean of course for the project to play back without hickups.

Thanks to any who can answer.