Despite some dubious things being said here, MSO5000 has much more noise than SDS2104X Plus/SDS1104X-E and that is important if you need to see low level signals.
No amount of wishful thinking and pushing a head in a sand will change that fact. Thick lines will hide the fact that in that noise there are other signals riding on large one...
You cannot replace low noise equipment with a high noise equipment. Higher noise equipment, by definition, hides more things from you.
You cannot replace bandwidth. If you need 1 GHz bandwidth, 200Mhz scope won't do. Period.
If you need to sample long periods with high sample rate, you need long memory. Scope with large memory can sample what a small memory scope can, but not vice versa.
If you need decoding, you need to have it.
All that being said, I personally like the scope to have lowest noise and best analog performance first. On top of that all other.
MSO5074, SDS2104X Plus and SDS1104X-E are really 3 different types of scopes.
I would say that MSO5074 (if equipped with MSO probes) is a decent mixed signal scope for looking at logic level signals. It has noisy front end, but it has lots of memory and MSO and decoding. I personally don't like their implementation, but is is a useful scope for amateur robotics, microcontroller arduino type stuff etc.. It has 2Ch of basic AWG. It has Bode plot but is not very good.
SDS2104X Plus is much better scope for analog stuff etc. It is more designed for that. Since I do that, I prefer it to MSO5000. I also, personally, like their software concept better. It is more logical to me. It has 1CH of basic AWG. It's Bode plot implementation is top notch.
But, If I were you, I would just go and get SDS1104X-E. It is a lot of scope for the money. Possibly all the scope you need for a long time. And for the rest of the money you can buy few other instruments....
And these class of scopes actually hold their value. You will easily sell it later and upgrade if you have a need for it.
I do understand what you are saying.
But my question is as follows :
I work a lot with microcontrollers and so I know that I want 4 channels, good protocol decoding and LA capabilities (cheap DIY probe possible with the MSO5000 ?). It's also unlikely that I'll get an acceptable resale value for a scope in my location - So, the one I buy now, will most likely be the one I'll be using 10 years from now!
Coming to analog part - Right now, I don't even know a use-case where I would need to look at very low voltages.
I am planning on learning more as I go and so I don't know for a fact that I'll not know such a use-case in future.
So no, I cannot say with absolute certainty that the low noise floor will not be an issue for me. And as I mentioned earlier, I am not exactly able to comprehend how the front-end noise would effect the reproduction of higher voltage signals (1V+ ?) - the thicker traces - will it be too off-putting ?
So..
1) Assuming that for the next 3 years I'll mostly be in the digital domain with a little bit of analog stuff, is the MSO5000 a bad buy ?
2) The thicker traces - will it be too off-putting ? Will it be too difficult to work with analog signals - even if not very low voltages ?
3) How is the protocol decoding/LA capabilities of the SDS1104X-E/SDS2104X Plus (compared to the MSO5000)? Also, DIY LA probes are difficult to make ?
4) For the occasions where I do have to work with low voltages, can I use some work-arounds ? Pre-amps ?
As I did mention, I shortlisted 3 scopes : SDS1104X-E, MSO5104, SDS2104X Plus. The last one is off the list as I don't want to spend that much. Right now, after all the reading, I am a bit scared to go the MSO5000 way.
But, to be frank, I don't know if that feeling is justified.
Maybe if I get answers to the above questions, I can make a more informed decision.
I sure do hope if a few of the MSO5000 owners chime in. Anyhow, looks like I'll be saving some money (by buying the SDS1104X-E)