Hi guys, I am new here and pretty new to gaming. I was wondering what laptop is best for computer games? Is it Windows? Any advice/input would be much appreciated. Thanks!

Windows computers are the most widely used, and most programs are set up for the OS, so you've got the most options there.

One caveat however: Buy a copy of Windows 7 to downgrade from Windows 10 if the laptop you want doesn't come with such a disk. Win 7 is the most compatible gaming OS on the market compared to 10, and most of the games on this storefront and others cap at DirectX 11, so there's no need to invest in Win 10.

As for brands, I'd say ASUS, Acer, and LG are the best brands to look into for reliability. My 2011 Acer still runs fine, aside from some memory issues and a weak battery, but I've never had to bring it in to get repairs or upgrades.

CPU and Motherboard? I'd say AMD over Intel. There's not much difference in price and AMD laptops are rarer, but from personal experience, AMD has fewer issues overall.

Lastly, aim for a quad-core CPU of at least 2.2 Ghz. and at least 6 GIGs of memory, DDR3 at least. Those specs will let you run most of what's on this website with little trouble.

Something like this is what you're looking for overall: https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA4P078C5842

Well, whatever answers you are going to get are going to be subjective, and dependant on what you want to play and do on the laptop. If it's just really old games then any laptop really. If it includes newer ones then a more powerful machine is needed. I recently brought:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Acer-Predator-Helios-GeForce-Keyboard/dp/B06Y4GZS9C
Which is a really good one, I love it, highly recommend it.
As for my opinions:
16gb minimum really nowadays of fastest ram you can afford.
Nvidia graphics cards are what I have gone for, and have done for many years, never had an issue with them.
SSD drive minimum with your OS on, you can have a HDD as wel, but the speed of SSDs can't be ignored.
For OS, it really has to be win10. Whilst I hate the constant updating, it is the only windows system they will support going forward, and when people speak about "comparability", the only game I have yet to find doesn't work is call of Juarez 1/2. Most can be fixed by patches, nocd (as win10 does not support securom), and following some simple good steps like not installing to wi dows directories and keeping your machine clean and minimal (I.e. Don't install all your games!).

Do note though, that weight could also be an issue. What are you using the laptop for again, maybe you need one of the really lightweight ones?

And do bear in mind that whatever non-desktop you buy will be outdated in a few years and far less simple to upgrade.

I'd recommend Asus, best quality/price ratio. Personally I'm using their products for ages and never faced any problems. Well, except broken keyboard, twice. On two different laptops. Perhaps I'm typing too much/fast ; )
Depends on your budget, grab something on Intel with Nvidia on board. 128bit card is a bare minimum for gaming. Aim for GTX 1050 at least.

Don't forget about visiting The "Try Linux" Repost/Rewrite (a "beginner's guide") if you're unsure about your future OS : )

Buy one with removable battery if you can find. I have an Asus G751JY and am kicking myself for buying it before checking that the batter can't be removed. I have issues with it which I'm sure would be solvable by removing and reinserting the battery once in a while.

+1 for ASUS laptops. The exact configuration will depend on your expectations and budget. I would bump mike_cesara's suggestion for a graphics card to a 1050 Ti or equivalent as a bare minimum. The OS is again up to you, but for the least amount of hassle (gaming-wise) I'd go with Windows.

Despite reading a lot of advice saying not to buy a Dell, I went ahead and bought one anyway because the specs were OK and I wanted to save some money. Big mistake. Go with Asus as everybody else has said.

What happened with Dell? No. Just no.

Especially beginners should stay with the OS that comes preloaded with their computer (laptop), it isn't even guaranteed that all the components on his new laptop have good drivers for Windows 7. Windows 10 is also more future-proof at this point (DirectX 12 support etc.).

Plus, Windows 7 has only like 1½-2 years of life left, before Microsoft will pull the plug, ie. not providing security updates or anything else for that matter for it anymore.

I am using Windows 7 on my current main PC (gaming laptop), but only because it came with it preloaded. My next PC I will buy at some point will run Windows 10 preloaded (and maybe Linux on the side), but this current PC will probably keep running Windows 7 as long as it works, just to run some a bit older games that may have issues on Windows 10. It already has Linux Mint installed as well, for non-gaming use and going to the internets, after Win7 stops getting security updates.

Just use a desktop. The idea of the mobility of laptops is a joke, when playing games even the best batteries will run out in a flash. You will end up just gaming with the laptop on a desk while leaving it plugged it, and at that stage what's the difference between that and a desktop?

EDIT: It's insane how computing technology has advanced so much in the last decade, but yet battery technology hasn't.

Maybe he wants to take the laptop with him from time to time. I certainly do. Otherwise a desktop would be probably fine.

Yes, that is why I got one. Couldn't lug the half tonnes main machine across Europe to stay with the missus for a couple of weeks so got a laptop to take with me. Sure it's no good on the go, couple of hours maybe, but fine when I get there.

Oh to add, for consideration, there is also the gpd win 2, expensive but tiny and looks cool. It's a full computer running win 10 and you can play up to GTA 5 on it (modest settings). Really want one myself but not with the laptop.

The build quality of the components was really poor, and the plastic casing of the laptop itself cracked, which severed the connection between the main body of the laptop and the screen, meaning I can only use it hooked up to a monitor. The bluetooth transmitter also broke, meaning I can only use a wired mouse. The case can't be fixed in a way that would last, and while I could get the bluetooth replaced I'd rather put the money towards something else and admit my mistake.

The GTX 960M it came with also isn't great and tends to produce a lot of screen tearing in many games (although I can't blame Dell for that).The fans are very noisy too, and the keyboard has a horribly cheap feel that you really don't want as a gaming interface.

It's my first gaming laptop and probably my last. I'm really looking forward to going back to desktops.

A desktop PC and its monitor doesn't fit into my hand baggage when flying abroad, or when I go to the summer cottage.

Or, even if I merely want to move the gaming PC inside my home, e.g. from the bedroom to the living room (in order to watch a movie or play a game on the big screen TV), it would be far too cumbersome with a desktop PC.

So it isn't about mobility, but portability. I generally don't even have the battery installed when I use the laptop, as I use it almost always only plugged in, but in different places.

+1 for Acer Predator Helios 300

https://www.amazon.com/Acer-Predator-i7-7700HQ-1060-6GB-G3-571-77QK/dp/B06Y4GZS9C/

Can´t beat it for this price. The only thing missing is storage hdd which should be added.