Best of luck to you with this. I was in a similar position, but only had one workstation. I invested in more RAM to max out my workstation at 24 GB, and then I invested in a TechNet subscription of my own. Using the TN software, I could download the server OS, SQL app, and SharePoint and Project Server apps. I then created a handful of virtual machines to create a very realistic topology. TechNet also has “Test Lab Guides” for installing all the required pieces. This has been a great environment for me to do with whatever I want to learn more about Project and Project Server.
