Don’t get a chromebook…. you want an i3 or i5 intel processor or an AMD one, an SSD hard drive around 120GB or more and 8GB of ram
Why no Chromebook? OP only wants a surfing, email , and word processing machine. Chromebook does all these with ease without needing all the stuff you mention.
Buying a Windows machine, yes, I’d agree with you. But the point of a Chromebook is that it runs light so doesn’t need those higher specs. Don’t go with the bargain basement Chromebook, as build quality and screen tech will suffer, as with any laptop. But they’re great for what they do if they will do what you require.