What processor images to install
The major problem with running Android virtual devices (AVDs) is that they are usually very slow, even on fast hardware. For this reason, consider using the HAXM accelerator which will work with a x86 image

https://software.intel.com/en-us/android/articles/intel-hardware-accelerated-execution-manager

You can still keep an ARM-based emulator for when you want to make sure it works, but while developing it would probably be easier to use the x86 Android image, as most of the functionality would be the same as the ARM version.