A new computer you mean? Sure, do a full image with Clonezilla or the like (or just remove the original disk and put in yours), but that's only really useful if you need to make a warranty claim and have to deal against a stubborn operator,
as the next step would be a wipe and clean install, THAT's a clean slate you may want to backup (after updates and/or installing your main programs), definitely not the bloatware-loaded custom factory images 😀
For a "regular" rechargeable lithium battery (not the newer LiFePo4 ones, that AFAIK are not used in mass market consumer electronics)... charge often (but not ridiculously often) - "zero" or worse to ~20% and 90 to 100% (all numbers approximate) are worse than an equal-percentage use in the mid range, the better laptops have charge limiting options that can be useful for most people who mainly use them plugged in which can be useful with regards to this point;
if not using it for a long while, store at ~ 40% (and recheck every few months);
However, the battery is not just the cells but also a "smart" regulator (where smart tends to mean profit-optimizing), so you'll want to disregard the above advice and run it mostly down then to full every month or so (if tit doesn't happen in your usage pattern anyway), that way the adaptive definition of "full" and "empty" keeps an updated reference… in other words, we went from Ni-Cd batteries with the "memory effect" to much superior lithium batteries with a real memory so that "They" can try to enforce replacements, and not rarely Their replacement too 😀 🙁
Haven't bought (or recommended) a computer with dual GPUs since they were invented, but AFAIK it works a little differently than in the Vaios with the speed/stamina switch that pioneered them - one is always active because the internal monitor is connected directly to it, and you can choose (nowadays on a program by program basis) which one actually does the calculations 😀
