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I went and bought an LED strip which has the following labels
How does this correspond to another naming scheme I have seen which looks like so:
I could use this tutorial, but then I have to go out and purchase those transistors. Can I instead use this LED strip with this tutorial?
The strip with DI, CI uses the SPI interface, and is not usable with a RGB LED strip.
I would be wary of using the RGB tutorial you referenced. This does not even provide a circuit diagram, only an unlabeled "wiring diagram".
This appears to connect the bases of the power transistor direct to the Pi without either a pull-up (if LED is supposed to be on if Low) or current limiting (if LED is supposed to be on if High). Series resistors are a good idea in any event to protect the Pi.
There are no current limiters in series with the LED (these may be on the LED strip).
The second type of led strips are a lot more expensive, but with those you can give all the leds a different color.
The led strip you have now, you can only set the color of the entire strip. Also not that your strips probably require 12 volts, not 5.
I would use some mosfets to switch the red, green, and blue leds on the trip. Also add some resistors between the pi and the base of the FETs. Maybe some pull-down resistors to make sure the leds are off when the Pi is off/booting-up.
