I'm sick of hearing people getting pooh-pooh'd because there is a "lack of published science to explain the claimed effect". So what? Take a look at the documentation of the vast majority of the drugs you are popping into your piehole. You know what the most common phrase you will find in that stack of information is? "The mechanism of action is unknown." or something similar. Just because no one can explain how it works doesn't mean that it doesn't work. Wait for them to fall on their face before you start kicking them.

I'm going to answer the original question as posed. You choose a Windows laptop by process of elimination, kind of like the Mac/PC commercials show. The commercial was snarky but not far from the truth. With the breadth of the field you have to choose from this is the only way to do it.

First, establish your budget and eliminate everything not in that range. "Solid" is the $400-800, "awesome" range is $800-1500, "gigitty" range is $1500+. Loosely.

Non-negotiable specs: 4GB RAM, Windows 7.

Can go either way: Intel i5/7 or Core 2 Quad - Core 2 Duo 2GHz+ if you must - as your budget allows. For general use it doesn't make much difference at this point. (Its been a long time since I've had any computer where I felt like the processor was the bottleneck in a general purpose machine's performance.)

Find out if there are any features she can't do without, like backlit keyboard (I didn't think it was a big deal but now I'll never go back.), trackpoint, super thin, super light, super long battery life, etc. With Windows PCs the bewildering array of machines is usually the result of one unique feature per model line. For every new feature a manufacture comes up with they build a model line around it. If you find out what particular things she just can't do without then a couple models may jump out of the crowd.

When you've narrowed the field down to a few models check the manufacturer forums and sales outlets feedback and see if you can spot any patterns in the complaints or kudos. Random gripes and generally worded pooh-poohing don't mean a thing...anything that pops up repeatedly is a problem that will eliminate a model from consideration.

At this point you should have it narrowed down to a handful of machines. Pull out the one machine you think is styled best for each unique or cool feature. Present the short list, along with the best pics you can find so she can see styling, to your wife and have her pick.

Its called 'online presence' and it kind of the point isn't it?

Seconded.

Unethical how?

I feel bad when I charge a boatload of money when I do IT or electrical work when its is such and easy thing for me or the job is as simple as running Spybot or flipping a breaker. Its so easy, cost me nothing, so why should I charge for it?

But my wife has drilled it into my head that, "Either they don't know how and they're relying on your huge investment in time and money during years of training, or they do know how and they're just lazy and taking advantage of your generous nature. Either way, you charge 'em."

If its so easy and cost the gamer nothing, what are they doing taking their system to Best Buy? If they're just lazy, charge 'em $30 for using Best Buy's labor pool to do it work they should be doing themselves. If they don't know how, charge 'em $30 to reimburse Best Buy for the investment they've made in hiring trained professionals. (And no, I didn't manage to type that last bit with a straight face.)