It's more like solo mining and you'll be able to do it with any computer that has a CPU ;D ... you have to set up a steemd node, sync the chain and mine for about a half a day on an intel i7 ...

this is a good guide to mining both on windows and linux (as it describes a linux vm on windows):
https://steemit.com/steem/@pfunk/guide-maximize-your-mining-hashrate-in-windows-by-mining-steem-in-a-vm

just remember to also set the "private-key" in config ini ... it has to be without quote marks, unlike other keys in that config file ...

here's a hashing comparison for some CPU's:
https://steemit.com/steem/@cheftony/steem-mining-hashrate-and-hardware-comparison-page

As it comes to block explorers ... that steemd.com page is the closest thing afaik ...