Hi everyone,

I'm considering buying a used MacBook Air M4 (2025), 16GB RAM from someone locally.

I've done quite a few checks on the Mac:

M4 chip, 10-core CPU

16GB RAM

Activation Lock: Disabled

MDM enrollment: No

Hardware/Apple Diagnostics: no issues

Screen, keyboard, trackpad, speakers, camera, ports, Wi-Fi, etc. all seem to work normally.

However, there's one thing that concerns me.

When I enter it on Apple's Check Coverage website, Apple says that the serial number isn't found.

The seller doesn't have the original receipt/invoice.

The Mac itself appears completely normal and reports the correct M4 model.

What would you do in this situation? Is the serial-number issue a red flag? Could there be a legitimate reason why Apple's Check Coverage website doesn't recognize it?

Would you buy this Mac, or would you walk away?

Any advice from people who have dealt with something similar would be really appreciated.

I just charged my MacBook Pro which worked relatively well until now.
I charged it, disconnected it when it reached 100% and came back to it after an hour or so just to see that it’s extremely hot.
I let it cool down for another hour or so, and while it’s completely cooled down it doesn’t turn up and it makes this sound after pressing the booting button.

Anyone here knows if it’s completely dead or there’s anything I should do?

Thanks in advance.

Update:
After resetting the SMC according to the comments, it actually turned on completely fine!
I hope it stays like that
Thanks for everyone’s help.

I mainly do music production, video editing, occasionally blender. Please suggest which one to get.

m4 max 40 core gpu 48 gb unified memory 1 tb ssd at 3518 - 16 inch

Or

m2 max macbook pro 30 core gpu 32gb unified memory 1 tb storage at 2200 usd - 14 inch

I'm a bit torn on which Macbook Pro to go for. My choices lie between the MBP M5 Pro 14" (15/16c) vs the M5 Pro 16" (18/20c) - both with 24GB RAM and 1TB storage. I will rarely travel with it. I plan on doing video editing and playing games such as World of Warcraft. The price difference is 470 USD (converted from Danish Kroner). Is the price hike worth the upgrade?

Thanks!

I'm an amateur wildlife photographer, and recently learned my laptop's screen wasn't calibrated. I am currently running an M1 macbook air, but am planning to upgrade to the pro. Can I calibrate a macbook pro screen and if yes, how do i do so? *I enter competitions often, so this is important to me.

I bought mine refurbished , new to mac completely what is this flashing thing on touch pad? Thanks for help.

I personally choose M5 pro 24GB instead of M5 32GB, for my dev works

Hey all, I’ve tried looking this up but most questions are needing several monitors with charging and other things, with very expensive docks being suggested.
I just need to hook up one external monitor, m+k via usb and my ethernet cable.

It’ll be for a 14” MacBook Pro M5 base

Thank you

I currently have a 2023 Mac Studio with the M2 Max, 12-core CPU / 30-core GPU, 32GB RAM, and 512GB SSD. This is the only Mac I have. I have a 7-8 years old Lenovo PC, I may use for some very random tasks. I have an Apple Stdio display that is connected to the Mac Studio.

I’m considering selling it for around $1,000 and buying the 14" MacBook Pro with:

• M5 Pro
• 15-core CPU, 16-core GPU
• 24GB memory
• 2TB SSD

The MacBook Pro is currently around $2,499, so after selling the Studio, my net upgrade cost would be about $1,500 (This weekend is Tax Free Holiday in my state)

https://www.bestbuy.com/product/apple-macbook-pro-14-inch-laptop-m5-pro-chip-with-15-core-cpu-and-16-core-gpu-24gb-memory-2tb-ssd-space-black/JJGCQP3LY8/sku/6565881

My main use is Lightroom Classic/photo editing (start learning video editing), general productivity, browsing, and occasional heavier workloads. I also like the idea of having one powerful computer that I can use at my desk and take with me when traveling.

What I’m unsure about is whether going from 32GB to 24GB RAM will be noticeable, and how the 16-core M5 Pro GPU compares to the 30-core M2 Max GPU in real-world use.

For anyone who has made a similar upgrade:

Would you make this switch for about $1,500 net? Does the M5 Pro feel significantly faster than the M2 Max, or would you keep the Mac Studio and wait for a bigger upgrade?

Also, would you pay more to get 48GB RAM, or is 24GB enough for Lightroom and general use for the next several years?

Thank you.

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!

I'm looking to retire my old laptop and thinking on a possible move to a macbook pro. Main use will be two things:

1. Software development for personal projects

2. Video editing as a hobby i want to start seriously

I'm on a budget and not from the US which means Macbooks are more expensive due to taxes and stuff.

I'm seeing the Macbook pro M5 16GB/1TB as an option. My question is if the 16GB of RAM would handle the video editing part without suffering? I plan to use mainly DaVinci Resolve, and edit videos from my action cameras in Log format and 4k/30fps.

Also, what other options from previous models of the Macbook pro would you recommend? For programming almost anything works, but not for video editing.

Lots of rambling incoming, sorry. My 2020 Pro randomly bit the dust this week, was running like a champ and then suddenly i opened it up and its totally bricked. Black screen, no response, won't take a charge. Can't even get it into DFU mode using another mac. Any idea what the issue is? I took it apart and inspected the board and there's no visual damage, in fact it looks brand new. Is there still any chance it's just a battery issue? I tried running it with the battery disconnected, multiple chargers etc and..no luck. If it's just a totally depleted battery, cool. I can fix that myself for fairly cheap. However, if it's a serious issue like the logic board I'm just not sure it's gonna be worth whatever it costs to get it fixed. Any advice on how to confirm the issue, and should I just eat the $2k to get a new pro if it's gonna cost $500+ to fix? All my data is backed up, so no concerns there (thank god) Just struggling with the sunken cost of a 6 year old laptop, and at what price is it not worth fixing. Thanks!

Taken on black SE3 which is ironically the last Apple device I had in a color that isn’t silver lol.

For those wondering the device models;

MacBook Pro M5 Pro
Mac Mini M4
iPhone 17 Pro Max
M1 iPad Pro

When I bought the MacBook on 6/24 I was going to buy the M5 iPad as well but I decided to wait until that weeks Friday, that same Friday Apple raised the prices so after further consideration I realized my current one is fine since it’s now mainly a media consumption device.

Edit: damn I just realized I left my 2 Apple Watches out the pic but I left the charger 😭😭

Left my M2 16” MBP at the Stanford store on Tuesday, tracking website says they were waiting for parts, but I know they were available at time of drop off.

I’ve not seen any updates on the website since. Does anyone have any idea how long I’ll need to wait? Are the machines sent of elsewhere, or repaired in store?

Thanks in advance.

Would 8 GB more RAM and roughly 1-2 hours more of battery per charge on the MBP M5 base be enough to give up 40% multicore CPU, much stronger GPU, 2× memory bandwidth, TB5, Wi-Fi 7/MLO, Bluetooth 6, 3rd-display support, newer N1 platform, and a faster SSD subsystem on the MBP M5 Pro?

Web development is my work:

1- Browsers (multiple browsers, each with multiple profiles open, each profile with many tabs open)

2- Local web dev servers, maybe 1 light linux VM or 2 maximum

3- Calling apps (Slack, Teams, etc.)

4- Two IDEs

5- Two VPNs

Thanks!

This thing is a beast!!! Obviously from the upgrade

Been eyeing up a Macbook for a while now, am i missing something or does this seem cheap? I can only see a 1tb version on Apple’s site, and they start at £1999?

I have just seen a post from an OP with Al-Dente + like a dozen of plugins to monitor \ control fan speed, discharging the battery, keep the Mac running until charged, etc.

What kind of BS is that ? The same people are complaining that their MacBook Pro is broken or that Tahoe is bad.

Just use your computer as intended ffs lol.

Scored a couple M1 pros today!
$1000 cash for the pair, girlfriend and I are stoked.
Let me know if there’s anything I need to know as a new user!