Like pencil and paper some CG hardware are better or worse than others for artwork. Sure you can use them and a talented artist improvises with the tools he has, but better tools open up more flexible expression. Any GC hardware will depend partly on the software that interfaces it to the computer (the driver). These tend to have features in common as well as notable differences. More features doesn't necessarily mean better hardware. Ideally the ease of use for a wide range of tasks will determine for the artist which is better for an individual artist. Hardware considerations are cost, reliability, and features. It should do all or most of what you mean to do with reasonable ease and at a cost that can be justified by its differences from basic generic features. Software bundles which come with the hardware should only be a consideration if they stand out as truly exceptional, which they rarely do. Free software with your purchase of CG hardware should generally sound alarms that the hardware may be lacking in some basic aspect that causes it to have to coax users into buying it.
Cost is a complex issue. Cost of the hardware itself, cost of replacement parts, or service and whether there is a warranty and if there is, what it covers. Shipping adds cost. one manufacturer may have a lower cost item, and charge enough more for shipping that buying a more expensive similar item might leave the artist with an identical cost, but a possibly higher quality item. A manufacturer may drop the price of an excellent item because a new model is being released. The manufacturer of a mediocre item may lower the price because the item is an albatross.
Picking an item by price should be balanced by quality. An artist should research both the manufacturer and the specific item. What is the manufacturer's reputation? are reviews available for the particular item?
How many of the item's features actually add value to it. It may be NEW and HOT but that doesn't mean it will do a better job for the artist. A scanner for example could have improved OCR (optical character recognition) software features which might make that scanner much more valuable for scanning stacks of invoices, forms, lists, etc, but does nothing for the artist. It could have a sheet feed or collation bin which could make it great for presentations, pamphlets, catalogs, but not for the artist. It might have networking features, on board caching, even a hard disk drive built in for allowing multiple users to make requests of it all at once, and then to keep track of what each user wants as it fills each order. Great for an office not worth anything to an artist.
For a hardware purchase to be a high value acquisition, the item should have as many features as the artist is going to use, and the best of those features, but nothing that adds extra cost that the srtist has no use for.
CGT - Resolution
CGT - File Format
CGT - Color Depth
CGT - Image Size
CGT - Auto Features...Color/Contrast Correction/Selection
CGT - Resolution
CGT - File Format
CGT - Color Depth
CGT - Image Size...MegaPixels
CGT - Focal Length
CGT - Aspect Ratio
CGT - Auto Features...Fill Flash/Exposure
err Mice... Meeces (Human Interface Devices)
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CGT - HARDWARE
CGT - Scanners
CGT - Scanners#Finding the best scanner