Deciding upon a tablet for myself.

[Ætheros]

OKay, so I'm at a bit of a crossroads here. The wacom bamboo tablet I'm using now just isn't cutting it. To small, the pressure sensitivity is meh at best and the pen is so damnned uncomfortable (not the mention the small divet I've worn in the tablet itself with my hand.)
So I've decided I need a new one, and I've narrowed it down to two tablet options.
The Intuos 3 (6x8) which is $329
and The Cintiq 12WX which is $999

What I mostly want to know is if the little Cintiq would be too small to justify getting. It has a display area of about 10x6 with 1280x800 resolution. With the money I would save getting the Intuos I could easily get a hi-res monitor. Also, it'd be nice to hear from anyone who might have used a Cintiq before. It'd be nice to know if it really does have that pen/paper feel to it.

So anyways, thanks in advance.

[Trick]

I'd suggest going with the intuos + monitor setup. Personally, if I were to spend my money on a Cintiq, I'd want to make sure I had the very best -- No sense in going big if you're not getting the most for your money.

I've also heard of some complaints about the 12WX, as far as its accuracy and usability. They're internet complaints so take that how you will, but You'll probably get a lot more out of a nice Intuos with a gorgeous widescreen monitor instead - just make sure to get the 6x11 model of the Intuos if you go widescreen; if your monitor is wide and your tablet is 4:3, then it's going to really disorient how the tablet tracks your cursor horizontally.

The cintiqs overall are really, really nice - not QUITE the pencil-paper feel, but it really helps to speed up your workflow, whatever that might be.

[Ætheros]

thanks, I've been doing a little research on my own, and I'm starting to like the Intuos more and more anyway. And if there are complaints about accuracy with the cintiq I'm not going to risk it. Plus, I could a new monitor.
thanks.