Not sure how this would be labelled a "gaming" laptop with an Intel Iris pro. Also, who would buy this over an Aorus X3 13in that has a GTX 870m in it instead of an Iris pro? http://www.aorus.com/x3.aspx

Dude, you didnt get the point it comes with a box in which you can put any gpu that you want! You can carry this to work, school and when you come home you just connect your pc to that box(with the gpu of your choice) and probably a monitor and and you have probably a laptop more capable than any existing laptop. But the idea of an externel is anything but new people are doing that for years now but its still kinda cool that they give you a pretty box for the gpu.

I'm just curious how this "Gaming Dock" actually works. I assume that the dock houses a PCIe x16 slot and that it then allows the GPU to only output signal to an external monitor and not to the laptop screen, but I don't really know.

That big ass box sucks though IMHO. Id rather put a gpu in a min itx setup with the cable running out to a express card adapter depending on the age of the laptop. But Im different and like to build and mod things.

Also the Intel Iris pro graphics chip is not that bad of a chip. I saw someone online gaming on one of them Gigabyte Brix units on 1 4k monitor and it looked great. They were playing BF4. Sure they would have to lower the graphics a tad. So this could be a decent gaming laptop with or without the gaming dock. I like the idea of being allowed to use a dedicated desktop graphics card. You don't have worry about the Laptop generating more heat because of the CPU and the dedicated mobile graphics card. To me this would be the equivalent of traveling with a laptop and docking station as far as portability goes.

That big ass box sucks though IMHO. Id rather put a gpu in a min itx setup with the cable running out to a express card adapter depending on the age of the laptop. But Im different and like to build and mod things.

Well good luck with using an Express Card adaptor. New laptops don't have those anymore, not even the extreme high end laptops. However, Thunderbolt could work for that since it ties directly into the PCIe bus.

Dude, you didnt get the point it comes with a box in which you can put any gpu that you want! You can carry this to work, school and when you come home you just connect your pc to that box(with the gpu of your choice) and probably a monitor and and you have probably a laptop more capable than any existing laptop. But the idea of an externel is anything but new people are doing that for years now but its still kinda cool that they give you a pretty box for the gpu.

I think the external box dock is meant to be a separate purchase, and this is still a terrible idea. I want to game OUTSIDE my home on my laptop, if I had to dock my laptop to game, then I might as well have a desktop (which I also do). Essentially, MSI is selling a laptop with ~$600 specs, and calling it a "gaming" laptop. You're better off getting a cheap $500 laptop for school/work, and spend $1000 on a desktop at home and come out with 2 systems, than this laptop + Dock config.

I think the external box dock is meant to be a separate purchase, and this is still a terrible idea. I want to game OUTSIDE my home on my laptop, if I had to dock my laptop to game, then I might as well have a desktop (which I also do). Essentially, MSI is selling a laptop with ~$600 specs, and calling it a "gaming" laptop. You're better off getting a cheap $500 laptop for school/work, and spend $1000 on a desktop at home and come out with 2 systems, than this laptop + Dock config.

Exactly. Iris Pro may be alright but it's not what I'd call "gaming grade" hardware. This laptop may look like a gaming laptop but under the hood it doesn't have it where it counts. You're better off getting a cheap $200 Android pad for your portable computing needs and then spend the money you just saved to build a custom gaming rig or buy a serious (read: $1700-8000) gaming laptop. Gaming laptops that are actually built for hardcore gaming have to be thick and heavy becasue the heat sink is thick and heavy, and the OEM didn't skimp on features. Of course, if you want to play games that don't demand much from the GPU then by all means get one of the thinner laptops and have a blast. Just don't expedct to play anything made in 2014 at higher settings than Medium with that.

Well, gaming laptops don't necessarily have to be thick. Take the MSI GS 70 Stealth Pro, or Aorus X7v2 for instance. One has a GTX 870M, the other has 2 GTX 860M in SLi, and both weigh about 6lbs, and both are less than an in thick while folded. It's just that you pay a premium price for the thin/light vs similar spec thicker laptops which run $200-300 cheaper, but weigh 3 more lbs, and 2.5x as thick.

For 720p resolution Iris Pro is alright if you're not looking at anything such as AA, or other optional enhancements like that. And the idea is great I think, but the one thing that may kill this idea is price. If they price it just right it'll be amazing.