Asking for Advice buying a New Laptop

[Salnax]

I've been using my current laptop for about six years now, and am currently looking into getting a new one. Since my personal aquaintances are not particularly tech savvy, I wanted to ask if anyone had any advice.

 

Notes

• I will want to play games on this laptop, but do not plan on making it my primary platform. I largely use my laptop for writing, spreadsheets, and similar tasks, and need to bring it with me on trips. I just would like to play some non-indie games released after 2008 if possible.
• I am a lifelong Windows user, and am reluctant to change that.
• I'd rather spend under $1200 on a laptop.
• I usually play more strategy and RPG games on PC, as opposed to some of the more GPU-heavy genres like shooters and action adventures.

Questions

1. Is there any particular brand I should be paying attention to or wary of? Is Dell still the Devil?
2. Are there certain technical specifications that I could overlook that would hinder my ability to play games?
3. What benefits does Windows 10 have over other versions of Windows?
4. Is a Solid State Drive sufficently large after installing a few games?
5. What is the AMD vs Intel thing about?

 

Thank you for your input!