I need to buy a laptop for my wife, who will use it for the most basic of requirements: web surfing, email, word processing. It needs to run Windows, because she uses Microsoft Word extensively. It can have a small screen, say around 10-12 inches.
I don't want to spend much on this, but I want a machine that will be able to perform these simple tasks very well.
I have been burned in the past by buying devices like the HP Stream, which is advertised for precisely this use case, but totally inadequate. It doesn't have enough storage to handle even the operating system, and even with only a few browser tabs open, grinds to a halt. Even typing an email can bog down waiting for the keystrokes to process.
Obviously, I'd like to spend as little as possible, but not less than necessary to get a decent machine.
What is a good machine for this situation?
