Wacom CINTIQ PRO 24 & 32 Review (In-Depth) 

Buy Wacom Cintiq Pro 24 & 32: aaronrutten.link/CintiqPro24 (Affiliate link) DISCLAIMER: This video is not sponsored. These tablets were borrowed from a friend who bought them with their own money. ​I may earn revenue from purchases made through the affiliate links in this video. All opinions in this review are my own.

I just got the 24. I really don't need two kidneys.

oof, after nearly 10 years, im Finally upgrading from the screenless intuos to a cintiq 24 pro. i'm so excited!

The problem is the price

Back in my day we took a piece of charcoal out of the fireplace and drew on a wooden plank. And we liked it.

I have been using Wacom tablets since the mid 90’s, my first tablet was a 12”x12” Art Z II tablet. I used this tablet until my puppy ate the cord and I found out that a new one was not available any longer so I purchased the first wireless Wacom tablet the Intos 4 with bluetooth, a few years later I purchased a refurbished Intos 5 that had touch. I purchased the new Cintq Pro 24 with touch back in December of 2018 and am not sorry I bought it as I use it for a lot of different tasks other than 2D art. Along with Painter 2019 and Krita I also use the tablet with Blender, Solidworks and I even use it with my DAW Bitwig Studio that is optimized for touch displays. I was planning on purchasing the Cintiq Pro 16 with touch but I thought that Wacom had dropped the ball on the cable interface. To connect the 16” model it required cables attached to both sides of the tablet, I cannot remember now what cables went where but the video and power were on one side and the usb was on the opposite side of the tablet. So I looked at the way the cable management was handled on the 24” and it was far superior in comparison, all of the cables were directed out of the center top of the tablet. In spite of the Cintq Pro 24 being a lot more expensive I am now retired and considering I have wanted a Cintiq pen display from when they were first introduced I decided to spend the extra money. The only regret that I have had is not buying a pen display years ago. I tend to agree with most of the things that were talked about in the video there is one thing that the author complained about that I personally felt he was being far too critical of and that is the fan noise. I personally have not had any issues with this, the cooling fans in my PC make more noise. During the review he mentioned the Cintiq Pro Engine PC Module, these are really great and elegant however they are extremely expensive. They have two models both having the NVIDIA Quadro P3200 GPU with 6GBs of GDDR 5 ram. The entry level model has an Intel i5-7300HQ Quad-Core CPU 16GBs DDR4 ram 256GB SSD and costs $2499, the high end model has a 3GZ Intel Xenon E3-1505M CPU 32 Gbs of DDR4 ram and a 512GB SSD costing $3299.95. Both of these Pro tablets are designed for the Cintiq engine to just slide into the back of the pen display. This is the reason that these two tablets do not have a standard VESA mounting pad on the back of the display. There are two sets of threaded holes that are spaced on each side of the area where the Cintiq engine slides into the display. If you want to use the standard vesa mounts for one of the articulated arms Wacom has a metal bracket that you can purchase that interfaces with the mounting holes of the pen display with having the standard VESA mount in the center of the adapter. For me instead of spending so much money on the Wacom Cintiq Pro Engine I purchased an Intel NUC 8 Premium model NUC8i7HVK VR Capable Mini PC Kit. The NUC has a 4.2GZ Intel Core i7-8809G CPU with Radeon RX Vega M GH graphics with 4GBs of HBM2 memory. All I had to add was ram memory and storage. The NUC 8 in comparison only cost $850 and I added 32GBs of Gskill DDR 4 ram and a 1TB Samsung 860 EVO SSD along with Windows 10 Pro for a total cost of $1360.00. I found a review on RU-vid for the Cintiq engines where they ran benchmarks comparing the two models. I then ran benchmarks using the same software on my NUC and it was only slightly slower then the $3200 Pro Engine and substantially faster than the $2499 entry level Pro Engine. The NUC is only 1/2” thicker than the Pro Engines but it has a lot more I/O ports, it has 2 Thunderbolt 3/USB 3.1 gen2 combo ports, 2 USB 3.1 gen2 ports one USB C and one USB A, as well as 4 USB 3 gen 1 ports. The NUC also has 2 HDMI v 2a ports and 2 mini Display Ports v 1.2. I am a retired aircraft technician and though I have not done so yet I plan on fabricating my own interface for the NUC to mount to the back of the Pro 24 pen display the same way that the Pro engine mounts.

Wow, one of the best reviews I have ever witnessed regarding these displays! Thanks Aaron!

Dude, this is the best review ever for Wacom devices!!!! HUGE fan thumbs UP!!!!

This is a fantastic review. Straightforward and honest; really appreciate your thorough thoughts.

I love this video! The description is very clear and detailed. I don't understand where the unlike comes from. Thanks so much for making this video. This helps me a lot.

Thank you, Aaron! I was really looking for an in depth review like this.

This, THIS is the kind of detailed, no-BS review I was looking for. I own a humble 13" Cintiq Companion that has served me well but I'd like to upgrade to the new 24" model in hopes that it will serve me at least for the next ten years... I know cheaper alternatives to Wacom exist but they always lack something in terms of realibility or quality or software. Wacom "just works". Thanks.

An excellent comprehensive no nonsense review. Thanks a lot.

Thanks for the review Aaron. I feel that the 27 inch is the best size too, so if I'm planning to upgrade 24 is more easy to manage your UI while drawing.

Thank you for the comprehensive review. It convinced me that Cintiq Pro 24" w/Engine I concidered to buy should be the second in queue, after a new Eizo reference monitor I need for my postprocessing of photo's.

I'm still using bamboo Pen and touch from 2010

Hey Wacom, take my money!...oh.. I don't have enough? damn... :-(

2:45 What settings do you have for touch in PS? When I try it zooms very very quickly, and it is locked to either rotate or translate instead of both like you have there.

I bought the 24 inch non touch when it was first released. It stopped working after a few months and had to be returned. A replacement was then not available for several months, so I bought a 27 QHD touch. Comparing the two models I liked the display of the 24 but prefer the size of the 27 QHD . I am happy with the 27 QHD and will probably not replace it until at least the next model comes out.

Can you have an on-screen virtual keyboard that operates like a regular keyboard e.g. 1) can I use multi key short cut keys on the on-screen keyboard, 2) and can I still pan, rotate, zoom, touch panel selections, etc. at the same time?

Aaron, as well as taking my digital art to another level, I too would really like to integrate it into my recording studio set up, I'm intending on buying a PreSonus Studio live 32 mixing desk and using their StudioOne 4 Pro DAW, , which fully integrates with the desk. Do you know if the StudioOne software works with the Wacom 24 Pro? I loath using a mouse for editing etc. A pen and/ or touch, would be awesome for general DAW work flow for me. So any help and feedback would be awesome and much appreciated. To reiterate what others have said, your video reviews are much appreciated by Pro and Amateur alike. So big thanks.

the best visual review ever seen on wacom tablet. tqvm!

I'm mad that Wacom doesn't lower the price of their older models and continues to sell them for the exact same price.. The 22HD should have a MASSIVE price reduction... But it doesn't and continues to be over $2k(Keep in mind I am in Canada) why? It would be more beneficial for me to get a 24Pro at that point :( But these items are amazing, and for anyone who can afford it, you are very blessed! I save up and grind HARD to make enough money for a 13HD lol. I am saving for a new tablet currently, cause... You know... Well, bigger display. And was hoping they would reduce their older technology prices.

the top vents on the cintiq pro is for the exhaust air right but where is the inflow vent for air entrance ???

I currently have the Wacom Cintiq 27QHD and have been looking at the Cintiq Pro 24. I like the higher resolution aspect. I feel the 32 would be too big. I had settled in ordering the 24 but after watching this video (which I'm grateful to find) I'm not so sure now.

Thanks a lot for this in depth review of the cintiq's really helpful in deciding what to do, Thanks a lot!!!

Are your thoughts still the same on the 32? Add when connecting the Mobile Studio Pro was it the highest spec?

This was very informative & helpful. Thank you Aaron ☺

Does the ergo stand support the 32 inch version? It says 24" in its description. I heard Wacom announced a 32" inch ergo stand but I have yet to see it on their website. Any information is greatly appreciated. Thank you for the work you do.

i got mine yesterday its such an Amazing tablet just wanted to know do i need to install screen protector there or there is already one installed?? as its an expensive device i don't want any scratches there, i don't care much about colours washed out after applying the screen protector as i am using this mainly for my 3d sculpt in zbrush, looking for you answer. Thanks

God im so excited i finally have enough money to get this and im getting it next week im so excited!

Thank you for this review Aaron! I own a Cintiq 27 HD and after watching your video I have to say I'm going to stick with my 27 as 24 is too small (especially at this resolution!) and 32 is too large. Fan noise is also a no-no. Cheers!

Looking strongly at financing a 24 pro in the future. Thanks for the reviews. Alternatives just don’t cut it.

thank you for this excellent review. you can now reduice the fan noise in advance settings

Thanks for posting this review, Aaron... Did you notice any issues with screen clarity on the 32 PRO? I know the resolution is higher than the QHD, but specifically, did the new etched glass seem to give the screen a matted, speckled look? I'm still using an older 21UX which basically has slick glass and is crystal clear. Been wanting to upgrade to a QHD or PRO model and had the chance to test a 32 PRO at an event, but it was immediately noticeable that the etched glass was not crystal clear (not due to fingerprints either!)... Was more like a poor quality screen protector. I'm hoping to find a local retailer that has a 32 PRO display model before ordering one, but curious if you'd say the QHD has more screen clarity. Thanks!

If you don't like the fan noise of the Cintiq Pro 24, you won't like the additional fan noise of the Cintiq Engine (though it is quieter). With the Ergo stand, I ended up purchasing male-to female Ethernet and USB connectors so that I would not have to directly connect a LAN cable and a keyboard through the arms of the Ergo stand. I wanted to be able to disconnect these cables without having to remove the back cover of the Wacom stand (as you note in your video). The Cintiq Pro cable comes with a male-female cable extender, but not the power cable for the Wacom Cintiq Engine. The power cable for the Cintiq Engine comes with a Velcro strap -- I used this to secure the cable to one of the Ergo stand arms. This power cable is too short to loop through the Ergo stand arms. Purchasing an engine is almost a necessity, at least for me, since the 1.5 meter USB-C cable with display port alternative is not quite long enough to loop through the arms of the Ergo stand and reach the computer driving the Cintiq Pro 24, unless the computer is on the same desk as the Cintiq with the USB-C connector on the computer facing toward the Cintiq Pro 24. The laws of physics preclude USB-C cables longer than 1.5 meters for display port alternative 4K video. A USB-C extender will degrade the signal. I was using an MSP 16 to drive the Cintiq Pro 24, which as you noted, flickers periodically in mirrored mode. The only solution to the flickering problem is to configure the Intel graphics adapter to use only the Cintiq Pro. With the engine attached, the leftmost USB-C connector does not support display port alternative. In any case, this is a terrific review. I think there are fewer cables with the Cintiq Pro 24 than with the 27 QHD, but correct me if I am wrong.

The best in-depth review

Was there black light issues? Coz I seem to have that in my cintiq pro 24 touch, any ideas on how to solve it??

🔥🔥🔥NOW that's a review!!! bravo 2 u my brother..... concise n 2 dah point ..i applaud u n i thank u👍👏👏✨✨

Just picked up the 32 ^^ Finally able to pickup my dream drawing display and oh am I excited~ ... even if my bank now hates me.

Great video, I was considering to get cintiq 27, but i think pro 32 is the answer, for ppl who is complaining about the fan noise, just put ur headphones and listen to ur fav music while u work on ur piece, but I wonder if u're working for long hours on the device, will that affect the fan? will the device get heated easily?

Did you update yours? I got one today for christmas and when i updated it, (the firmware), It bricked on me. It wont turn on and now i have to send it back and get a new one. It looks like theres are a couple of people that had this issue and said not to update.

I cannot figure out what features the new big Stand has for the 24 and 32 models. As far as I know it only locks in in two places, which is kindoff ricidulous? Whats the matter with that thing? Can someone enlighten me please! :)

Hi Aaron, You can make the fan noise go more quiet on the 24/32. Go in to Display setting in the Wacom desktop Center. Then go to the advanced.... button. Change fan speed to Low Speed instead of Auto. This will help with the fan noise. The fan will activated but not as often as on Auto mode. Try it out, I think i works better this way.

great review, i have the 27touch and I advised a colleague to get the 24 only to find out that it has loud fans...never expected that. new generation should iterate and improve over the previous generation and not have such trade offs

Is there a noticeable difference between the 32 and 24's fans? I was thinking of picking up the 32, but all these complaints about the fans are making me reconsider.

Hello! First of all, sorry for my bad English. I am a French student and I wanted to know if there were one or more notable differences between these new five "pro" compared to the old "five 27 qhd", apartment 4K? I plan to buy a graphic tablet of the best possible quality even if it is an important investment, and I wanted to know if there was a real interest in taking these new models?

32 is way too big for me. 24 is good. im so happy with mine and its very nice.

well i want to get my daughter a cintiq 16. she has been drawing in notebooks and maybe drawing pads. she's 23 and in college now. don't know if she needs a Cintiq Pro 24 or 32. at least not yet...

I haven't been able to draw for ten years now because I have M.E, a friend suggested to get a drawing tablet as it would be much easier for me, and as my hands are getting better. So watching lots of reviews to decide what I should get. It will take some saving so I have some time before I'll be purchasing... Interested to know if your review has held up over time? If you have issues on a daily basis with it? ♥ ♥ ♥

I find it odd that apparently touch gestures work better on the Cintiqs than my Intuos Pro, which also has multitouch and is supposed to have most of the same features! Heck, that's the main reason I got one, since I couldn't afford a cintiq pro at the time but saw that the intuos pro had most of its features just without a screen! You say yours is buggy too, and I can see it lag now and then, but from what I've seen, the zooming and rotating is much smoother in your test of CSP for you than it is for me, and I would love it if it was like this for me! Even though our tablets supposedly have similar features! When I two finger zoom it's slower than using a mouse, and I can only two-finger rotate in 25 degree steps... counter-clockwise only... Is it because I have it plugged into a USB 2.0 port instead of 3.0? Or does it just work differently for intuos pro users? Or maybe is the operating system at fault? Or is it just a screen thing? I mean i use windows... Mh... I mostly just use the touch ring to rotate and zoom now because it's just easier and more convenient for me. And that's a shame because i thought the multitouch on the tablet itself would help me much more than the ring; if it worked like on your cintiq pro here my workflow would definitely become quicker too.

is the 24 pro touch worth it if only used for edit pictures? i dont draw and its only a hobby. and why is the touch so much more expensive

Hello bro! Can you tell us about your color, brightness and contrast settings?) Please

Does the cintiq pro 32 fan kick up after you turn off the screen? My cintiq pro 32 fan still runing 3 hours after the screen turns off.THX

You forgot to go into detail about the added computer input - it will negate any data lag using cable for 4k and it will help make process smoother etc.

Would you still recommend the Wacom Cintiq pro 24 over the 27" QHD or the Dell Canvas27"? I'm still ticked they didn't make a 27" version of this. If I buy the 24 and they come out with a 27" I'm gonna lose my $h*7...

Great Review. Do you know if it does work for Zbrush...?

Great job. Thanks so much, you helped me! Now I know why I can't reach 10 bit on my Cintiq24. I need different graphic card.

For some reason, I couldnt get the microphone to work. Cortana can't hear me. Also, I have the Engine connected to the 32 display. Ive tried Wacom Tech Support several times, and they would just direct me to youtube videos on how to set up the microphone. And I've tried everything. A couple instances, I was shut down with the dude saying it doesnt have microphone. Do you have a diagnosis and/or a solution? TIA

Amazing review Aaron, thank you. My reason for purchasing one of these, is to use only for photography, as unfortunately I am drawing challenged. How useful would it be for photography in your opinion?

Wow Aaron, this is the best technical Cintiq pro review on RU-vid. Thanks. The fan noise is a big letdown for me also. And it really prohibits me from buying the 32. But, have you tried the latest firmware? The big change in the firmware is a extra option to lower the fan noise. I’m really interested in your opinion about this new firmware. Does it solve the noise problem? Does the Cintiq get too hot at 100% Brightness?

Best cintiq review and comparison on the internet!

One thing to point out because it's semi-important still: just having a USB-C port alone will not allow you to be able to carry both data and display via 1 cable. The USB-C port has to support DP 1.2/DP alternate mode and even if your USB controller by hardware supports it, the manufacturer of the motherboard or extension card needs to support the connection type via software. Otherwise you'll be given a QHD signal or perhaps a UHD signal, but at 30hz as opposed to 60. Most thunderbolt ports do support the mode however.

great review. thanks.

I have a Nvida Quadro M3000M gpu card, but I don't know if it will support the Cintiq 32's 4K resolution. Anyone know if it's enough? I'm only going to run Photoshop.. no video games.

Thanks for the review! Unbelievable that Wacom isn't able to handle their fan noise problem. This was so annoying on the Cintiq Companion models and I was much happier with a Cintiq 27 which is still silent, in my opinion. After all this years and for this price it should definitly be possible to provide a noiseless or even fanless solution. It's a display! At least for me this a KO criterion, cause I can't live with that.

the 27 qhd are officially hard to find now and for some reasons go for the same price as the 32 sometimes.

Would you recommend using a Cintiq Pro as your main display? For when doing other things like watching movies or occasional gaming?

and what about producing heat?

Does the heat get uncomfortable during extended use? I've used an older Cintiq before for ZBrush sculpting. After about 30 minutes to an hour, the screen would be uncomfortably warm. I stopped using Cintiqs after that, and just stuck to my Intuos 5 (old faithful). I'm considering buying a Cintiq, but not if it still has that problem.

Do you think that the Cintiq Pro 24 is better than the 27 QHD? It seems you personally like the 24 better than the 32, but in comparison to the older model, is it worth the extra money?

The latest Wacom digital items!

Can it be used as regular computer monitor? Or will boil as hell

So here's the thing.. I'm gonna do a 4k PC build because I want to use it for a display drawing tablet called cintiq pro the 24 or 32 inch model , this being used for digitally drawing. Yet the tablet runs 4k and res below that. Bottom line it's not even about gaming that's just a nice exclusive feature. For me It's about making a pc that can display 4k and support it with lots of ram and nice graphics cards because the I'll will be rather close to the display tablet as I draw. Therefore, I feel as I may have a bad experience spotting out every pixel on 1080 res as I draw up close to the tablet. So I should go for 4k correct ? Just for digital drawing maybe 3d rendering maybe sculpting idk maybe for yano idk. Anyways I've been researching looking for the best build for my situation also looking for people in a similar predicament or experienced and learning their specs and build. It's to further push my passion and maybe major I always wanted to draw comics or draw in general paint and all that. maybe even try digitally drawing. I always wanted to learn how to make statues of comic book characters an movie characters come to life like the brand Sideshow collectibles. Im a little new to pc building but i know more than enough , but if someone could shoot some advice or shine some knowledge on me that be great. Thank you for reading this long boring comment.

There is a fan speed control update for some time now.

Is there a big difference between this Cintiq 24 and the HUION 22 pro 2019?

Perfect! Thanks for the help lol couldn't decide on which size to get! I think the 24 Will be just fine for now 😊

Hi, do you have an in depth review of the 16 and 13?

I would LOVE to have this but I feel like it would be a waste on me since I'm not very good lol.

Hey Aaron, I came back here to report to you that although I experience the flickers on connectivity to mobilestudiopro16 connected to my CintiqPro32 but it makes sense after the update when I try 4k videos on devices. 32 has lag while MSP plays it smooth. It's random actually. I also noticed (because this is using extended display.) That I can draw hours without flickers on CP32 while MSP16 flickers every minute on average as I timed it and sometimes less than that but it doesn't when you're static. CP32 works fine and has no flickering issue connected to MSP16 so I think it has something to do with MSP16 itself. I also find out it was a well-known issue. Do you think you can investigate this? I mean, for me in my personal opinion, MSP16 is much better to use than Pro Engine as you can use it on the go. I go out most of the time so I draw a lot outside and at home, I kinda wanted to just plug and get it started. (Eventhough I already have a PC for that.) It's more convenient that way without turning on my other PC. But the MSP16 screen flickers especially using dual monitors is a well-known issue. I would appreciate it if you have any info for the fix. Wacom customer service afaik to the forums are difficult to contact regarding driver issues. Thanks!

6:31 thanks, I was actually gonna get the artist 22e pro, and I thought it was in 4K

Can you review the Cintiq Pro Engines?

The noise from my computer is way louder than the fan noise from my Cintiq pro 16. My PC is configured with Vega 64 & Threadripper.

I am looking to buy myself a Wacom Cintiq Pro 24 a.s.a.p. but I am completely illiterate when it comes to computer hardware and I haven't been able to find any videos on what kind of computer I would need to set up in order to get the best out of this very expensive screen/tablet. Obviously I want a smooth experience when working. I am first and foremost interested in 2D art (using photoshop) and I am used to working on quite large files, using a lot of layers. Could you perhaps dive into this topic in a video?

can anyone tell me the different between Wacom Cintiq Pro 24 creative pen display and Wacom Cintiq Pro 24?

Hi I bought the cintiq pro (24). There was a problem with the display. Shipped with warranty but after returning the device. Its problems had already worsened. In general, there is no good warranty, and be sure to review this purchase.

What is the actual size of the screen in inches? As in how wide and how tall. 24 and 32 models. Looks like too wide and not tall enough for drawing big.

I totaly agree with you, the touch feeling is so bad on the Cintiq, I have the 27 QHD Touch model and the iPad pro, my PC is a lot more powerful than the iPad pro but the feeling is really laggy and bad. Anyone has a solution to this? I'm really disapointed, I do not used my Cintiq anymore...

0:12 is my image of heaven I'm broke so I gotta dream big! 7:23 which pen are you using? I've been searching for a good stylus with a tip to use on my phone!

Big respect for the rollerball mouse

You'll need to design a desk around the 32 IMO.

I connected my Cintiq pro 13 to my 2018 i7 MBP with a single usb-c cable, but is see some lag. :( Might the problem be the Wacom usb-c cable? Could I use the Apple's Thunderbolt 3 cable? Thanks!

When I connect my mobile studio pro to a external monitor, via usb-c to hdmi cable the screen keep flickers occasionally. You have ways to solve this problem ? Can we use propen 2 on cintiq 27 qhd?

I might upgrade to the 32 inch....all in one computer combo.....this year....Let's see if the economy doesn't tank! Thanks Rutten for posting. :-D I am an amateur artist, but the technology today has made my art crisp compared to the copic markers I had been using... I love Photoshop ....and Rutten! :-D

Do I need to have of computer to use this or does this work by itself

Great and thorough review. I already have the 24” pro but I really enjoyed the reviews and I’m happy I made the right decision. Now if only I can work out how to get Clip Studio Paint to open on my Cintiq in full without having to mirror. Also, who gave this video a thumbs down and why ? Presumably they must have a much better review out there, but I doubt it. Ben

Any news about a 27 inch model ?

Hey Aaron, I have a question since my 32 is coming tomorrow. Do you think it will connect on MobileStudioPro16 as a second screen? Have you tested it yet? And if it does, how many cintiq screen can MSP16 handles. I don't if the MSP16 GPU handles more than two but I just wanted a sort of experiment. Knowing I can't use the MSP16 as my main as I use it outside but for the purpose, I might put it as a substitute as it is currently my powerful computer as my 4yrs. old Asus desktop i7 Intel4400 is dating and will upgrade soon. But this is a question I was hoping someone would try. Thanks for your feedback in advance fellow artist. Animator/Designer RJ

I'm just gonna stick to my iPad pro. Photoshop will be available in early 2019 atleast

has the cintiq 32 been discontinued? i was saving up the past few years to buy it, but it seems to be taken off the market. I've used the cintiq 13HD since october 2018, but the USB has stopped working in the 3 in 1 cable, making the driver not recognize the device, and the pen no longer register. Should I buy a new cable, switch to the current 24, or wait for wacom to release a new line of cintiqs?