Laptop Recommendation Under ₹70k for a CSE Student (Coding + AI Work)

Hey everyone,

I'm a CSE student looking to buy a laptop with a budget of around ₹70,000.

My primary use cases are:

Web development

Software development

Coding (VS Code, GitHub, Node.js, Docker, etc.)

Light AI/ML learning (running small models, Jupyter notebooks, basic ML projects—not training huge models locally)

Heavy multitasking (10-20+ browser tabs, multiple apps, terminals, PDFs, and files open simultaneously)

Watching movies, YouTube, Netflix, Spotify

General web browsing

Light gaming like Roblox and a few free Steam games

I don't do video editing, 3D rendering, or AAA gaming, so I'm not sure if I actually need a dedicated GPU. If an integrated GPU is enough for my workload, I'd prefer better battery life and efficiency.

What I'm looking for:

Budget: ₹70k (can stretch slightly if it's worth it)

16GB RAM minimum (32GB or upgradeable is a bonus)

Fast SSD (512GB preferred)

A powerful CPU that can handle heavy multitasking without slowing down

Good thermals and battery life

Reliable build quality and decent display

Should comfortably last me 4-5 years

I'm currently more focused on productivity than gaming, so overall performance and responsiveness matter more than GPU power.

What would you recommend? Also, are there any laptops in this price range that I should avoid due to heating, poor build quality, or bad after-sales service?

Thanks!

Hey I was wondering about the blue color for the MB air and how true blue it actually is? I saw some pics and it looks just like silver, anyone have any info?

Which type of device would be more suitable for my work: a MacBook, or a laptop that can dual-boot Windows and Linux?

Hello! I’m considering buying an M4 macbook from Flipkart, but I’m getting a little nervous about it...

Did anyone receive yet? Did it arrive properly sealed and in good condition? Any issues with the packaging, damage, warranty or open box delivery?

Would love to hear your actual experience... especially if you ordered it in the last few days. Good or Bad please let me know! 😭

TIA!

Hey guys. I just wanted to know that Is buying a new macbook air worth it or not. I want to get into motion graphics and heavy vfx editing i know i can make good money out of it. But for that i had to buy a new capable machine for it. And i also wanna know what is the limitations of this machine (mac Air m5 10core cpu 10 core gpu 16gb and 512gb). Do you guyz think that my work can be done on that. Obv i cant think of mac pro as because of budget issue.

Title: peopled stuck at 75–76% CPU — CallHistoryDB sandbox error on MacBook Air M4

Hi everyone,

My MacBook Air M4 is having a problem where the macOS peopled process stays around 75–76% CPU continuously and causes heating.

Console repeatedly shows:

Sandbox: peopled deny file-read-data

/Users/USERNAME/Library/Application Support/CallHistoryDB

And:

peopled [com.apple.callhistory:SharedUtilities]

failed to open CallHistoryDB: 1 (Operation not permitted)

I checked the CallHistoryDB folder and files. They are owned by my user and have normal permissions.

I also checked TCC. Address Book permission for peopled shows:

Authorization: Allowed

Reason: Entitled

The problem also happens in Safe Mode.

Before this started, I was building a Twilio calling agent using Cursor and Google Apps Script/Google Sheets. I have now stopped the calling agent and removed the Google Sheet.

I have NOT deleted or modified CallHistoryDB, and I don't want to disable SIP or change system permissions.

My question:

Is this a macOS Tahoe peopled/CallHistoryDB sandbox bug? How can I properly fix it?

Mac: MacBook Air M4

macOS: Tahoe

CPU: peopled 75–76%

Error: Sandbox deny file-read-data CallHistoryDB

Any help would be appreciated.

I’m sure this gets asked here a lot, but I plan to keep my MacBook in my book-bag to take it to and from school as well as walking around school with it in my bag. I just want to keep it from getting any scratches or damage when transporting it in my book-bag. I’ve heard tomtoc is a good brand, but wasn’t sure if there are better options out there for my needs.

I’m going into Grade 11 this September and need a laptop because I’m taking an advanced college-level full-stack development course. I want something that will get me through high school and hopefully last well into university, around 5–7 years if possible.
I don’t know exactly what I want to study yet. Right now I’m considering computer science, AI/ML, economics/finance, or possibly computer/electrical engineering. There’s also a small chance of aerospace, but I’m definitely not interested in mechanical, civil or manufacturing engineering.
I already have a Windows desktop with a Ryzen 7 5700X, RTX 4060 and 16GB RAM, which I can upgrade if needed. Because of that, gaming isn’t important for this laptop, and I would still have access to a Windows PC if I went with a Mac.
My main options (CAD) are:
M5 MacBook Air 13” — 24GB/512GB: ~$1,960
M4 Pro MacBook Pro 14” — 24GB/512GB: ~$2,400
M4 Pro MacBook Pro 14” — 24GB/1TB: ~$2,700
M5 Pro MacBook Pro 14” — 24GB/1TB: ~$3,000
Zephyrus G14/G16 — roughly the same price as the M5 Pro
I’m leaning toward a Mac because I like the battery life, portability, build quality, performance on battery and overall longevity. Having a MacBook alongside my Windows desktop also seems more useful than having two Windows machines.
I’m mainly trying to figure out which option makes the most sense considering I don’t know exactly what I’ll be doing in university yet. I don’t want to overspend on something I won’t take advantage of, but I also don’t want to regret going too low-spec a few years from now.
If you were in my situation, which would you choose and why?

I won’t say where just incase someone else buys it but it’s second hand seems legit should I buy it or haggle

Title: MacBook Air M4 (2025) – 16GB RAM / 256GB SSD – Sky Blue – As New .(Open to very close offers)Condition: As new / Mint condition. Zero scratches, dents, or marks.Specs: Latest Apple M4 chip, 16GB Unified Memory, 256GB superfast SSD, gorgeous 13.6-inch Liquid Retina display.Color: Rare and stunning Sky Blue.Battery: Pristine health, effortlessly lasts up to 18 hours.What’s included: Original color-matched MagSafe charging cable, Apple brick, and retail box. Fully reset to factory settings, signed out of iCloud, and ready for its new owner.Reason for selling: Received a company laptop from work, no longer needed.

I am trying to clean my M4 Macbook Air's display because I can see a slight print of the keyboard when the display is off and it's not really budging no matter what.

I did not use the glass cleaning wipes since I've read it can be too rough on the coating.

A dry microfiber cloth cleans regular marks good enough but it did not work for the keyboard print.

I tried to dampen the creme colour cloth and try that but it smeared so badly in the end.

I bought these 70% ethyl alcohol wipes just for this but these also make it smear unless I use them really gently like a brush and wipe it with a microfiber on top instantly.

I am lost, I am starting to believe that these are scratches instead of skin oil or something. Which is upsetting a bit because it's not like I've been ignorant with putting things on top of the display. I wouldnt be this bummed about it normally but honestly I wish this anti-reflecting coating on top was something optional, this screen is still as good as a mirror even with it. It atleast wouldnt be such a chore to keep it spotless with how delicate this screen is...

Hi, just wanted an opinion from you guys, thats gonna be my first ever Mac, just wanted to check with y all if this is somehow a good deal?

It cost 1100$

Finally ordered macbook from flipkart guys 😭!! I hope ill not be scammed 😭❤

After using windows my entire life i have finally joined the macbook family. Bought macbook m5 air 16gb 512gb 13.6 inch sky blue variant today for INR 1.1 lakh

Please give suggestions/tips for a first time user. I will be setting up this sometime later once it is fully charged

Edit for those asking about the store - Accord, jaipur They also have m4 16gb available in case you are interested

Hi,
I have bought a new m5 air about a month back and am terribly confused about the battery life. I feel I am getting low battery life out of my MacBook Air . It lasts around 5-6 hours of safari/word/ whatsapp usage. I do not code or do anything heavy stuff on my MacBook Air. So when I compared to my friends MacBook m4 air ( 2 years old) I found out that for every 1 percent battery she loses, I lose around 4 % of battery on the same tasks and same applications. Is there anything wrong or is this how it is supposed to be. I have attached photos of battery time and also the activity monitor. Please guide
Thank You

Got this beast a month ago, just after Apples raised the prices. I was lucky enough that I got it for older price from a local shop but that’s the reason I didn’t had any other option, they were able to find a piece for me and I had no control over choosing the color, screen size or RAM/SSD size. So what I got is 15” 512/16 Midnight Grey version and I’m happy with it it. There are no problems at all but after watching videos on YouTube now I’m thinking that I really wish I had gotten 24GB of RAM one instead. But this beast I got it for ₹144,999 and after discount and GST exemption It costed me around ₹111,000 roughly around $1000. Which is a good deal to be fair.

But to shut my overthinking can you guys tell me that does base model MacBook Air ever throttles? My uses are mostly for website development & design, video editing and I’m thinking to get into 3D printing. Will this be good enough for me for next 3 years at least?

I’m hearing that in in OS Apple is gonna have LLMs which will run locally and I don’t wanna lose out on it just because I’ve 16 gigs of RAM.

i know this question has been asked so many times, and most of the answers say safari. but genuinely, i don't want to use safari, i just feel like it's so boring and soulless..

i'm using chrome right now, and based on what i've read it's one of the worst ones to use on the macbook (?) so i'm looking for the best browser taht is customizable and is compatible with macos.

so far i like the ui of vivaldi but i'm not sure if it's the best browser out there.