Seeking Laptop w/ External Graphics Enclosure; Razer 14" vs Alienware 15

[xRayne]

Hi all! I'm trying to make a decision on a laptop and so far I've only found two brands that offer me a necessity I would intend to get after the fact; an external graphics enclosure. So basically, I'm trying to find a laptop that would be a desktop-rivalling gaming rig when I'm at home, while still having some good gaming prowess whilst on the go. I'm right now split between the Alienware 15, which is cheaper, and the Razer 14", which is more compact and light, while still being equipped with a good set of specs.

At this point, I've heard Alienware is a bad brand to buy but without hearing much by way of specifics, so I'm reserving judgement until I've heard from some of the people who have more experience. For the comparison I'm using the $2,199 Alienware. So without further ado, the primary specs, including updates to the build through Alienware. Price-totals will be shown in the aftermath.

Display
RB: 14.0" IGZO 3200x1800
AW: 15.6" IGZO 3840x2160

Graphics
RB: GTX 970M
AW: GTX 970M (Note: I wanted to bump this to a 780M, however it called for a $600 price hike, whereas instead it gave me a $1,000+ price hike...Anyone know why this might be? I guess it becomes moot with the desktop graphics added anyway)

CPU:
RB: Intel® Core™ i7-6700HQ
AW: Intel® Core™ i7-6700HQ

RAM:
RB: 16GB Dual Channel DDR4 at 2133MHz
AW: 16GB Dual Channel DDR4 at 2133MHz

Memory:
RB: 512GB PCIe SSD
AW: 256GB PCIe SSD (Boot) + 1TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s (Storage)

Price:
RB: $2,999 CAD
AW: $2,749 CAD

The pricing is fairly close for the similar specs, and at that difference I'm tempted to go for the Razer on the size benefits alone, hard drive space isn't a big deal as I've got 3.0 externals. Anybody have any further input?

EDIT: To specify, the external enclosure will likely be purchased at a later date, so at this time I'm only specifically factoring for the laptop costs themselves.

 

[heavensdown]

By the informative comparison you've provided, i'd pick the Alienware, because of the better display (15 inches and the 4k resolution) and the Alienware Amplifier for the Desktop GPU. The weight and size doesn't really bother me.

Iv'e heard some say the Razer Blade has some terrifying heating issues due to some bad ventilation caused by the design, but i'm not sure of it.

 

[xRayne]

I appreciate your reply. Unfortunately I haven't been able to make the shift. Had everything come together properly, I likely would've gone with the Alienware.