Levels of sensitivity aside (512 vs 1024, I personally don't think I'd be able to tell the difference...), the Intuous has many more features over the graphire, but they may not be used in programs you use. The intuos has features like the pen tilt, which, however hella cool it may be, isn't supported in Photoshop 6 (3rd party plugs like Deep Paint though I think understand pen tilt). There a page somewhere on the wacom site that has a big list of programs for mac and PC, and lists what functions they can recognize. With the intuos as well, you can buy multiple pens, and assign a specific funtion to each, instead of having to select each tool. Also, you can buy a specific airbrush pen that supposedly really does a good job at mimicking the style/feel/appearance of a real air brush. I've never used it before. As for the size of the tablets, once again, that depends on your comfort level. Ideally, I think I'd prefer a 6x8 instead of my 5x4, but beggars can't be choosers. That humongous 12x18 Intuos, while I'm sure its REAL nice, I'd have no use for it. My strokes really are nowhere near that long, and I'd have no place to put the fucker. It all depends on preference, room, and the size of your stroke. Me thinks yer gonna like yer Intuos a lot dude, especially if I love my graphire so much!