Almost seems like it is worth saving the extra $ and just buy the Rigol and "upgrade" it to 100MHz, unless the higher end models can also be hacked... Then the Siglent does not seem like a better option anymore. Am I missing something there?
Yes, you are missing LOT of. How you buy car. Are nearly same if both have 4 wheels and both have 180km/h max speed.
If you compare Rigl DS1000Z and Siglent SDS1004X-E fast you can see that they are really from different planet. Of course there are also similar things, 7" 480x800 display and 4 analog input channels. Both have shared vertical adjustments. Both have maximum samplerrate 1GSa/s.
If do not argument normal mode wfm/s speed maximum (what is also lot of higher in Siglent)
Siglent construction is 2x 1ADC1MEM/2 channel and Rigol 1ADC1MEM/4 channel
Siglent 2 channel both 1GSa/s Rigol 1 channel 1GSa/s and 2 channel 500MSa/s
Siglent >2 channels simultaneously 500MSa/s Just barely enough for 200MHz and Rigol 250MSa/s Just barely enough for 100MHz. Even if analog front end can pass over this to ADC just for aliasing.
If look signals what are not sine, example square, some times linear interpolation is better (exept if user only admire "nice looking image". Least linear interpolation is tool for experienced users for detect what is going on when he can switch between linear, Sinc and dots. In Siglent all is full freedom for user and all is done post processing. And importatntly, Siglent Sinc do not flush real data to toilet, it draw Sinc iterpolation via true ADC data points. And you can always select if it is used or not, also you can change mode afterwards. And dots mode it do not generate fake dots. Also it do not decimate. All real ADC data is mapped for display.
But Rigol works here like some kind of entertainment toy. It is unbelievable how they have used this fake Sinc years, they start it with old DS1000E and never repaired it. Still it also looks like there is lot of users who do not even understand this severity IF we talk about real tools and not toys.
Many times one good tool for hunting anomalies in signal is mask test. Yes, Rigol have mask test - yes. But there is real trap for users. It can lead to severe false result if exaple do statistics about anomalies occurence. Why, because its speed depends about test result and it depends about it really lot. If mask test result is fail it is extremely slow. Some tests in second and if result is pass, then speed is example up to max wfm/s speed.
In Siglent, independent of result, (test is hardware based) test result do not affect speed at all. Always maximum speed.
Yes I know mask test is not so popular specially in user segment "hobbyist". Perhaps because just this test have been so crap in low price oscilloscopes, mostly just software based so that sales man can list this feature to AD.
Also Siglent mask test is simply and feture poor version if compare to higher grade scopes. But least it is fast and also statistics result is valid and do not include this "hidden" trap what leads to false data.
Siglent have real waveform history buffer up to over 50Mpoints, up to 80000 last acquisitions and with realative time stamps and it is not image frame recorder, it keep full raw ADC data. You can stop scope and look what just previously happe. You can do then measurements, even FFT for every single stored waveform, you can change linear or sinc interpolation or just dots. You can play with this history many ways.
Rigol do not have nothing like this. And this is real tool after you learn how to work with it for get more power for your work. Many peoples overlook this - just because they have never seen or used this kind of tool. Yes, this can also find in some R&S higher crade scopes (and of course also then more featured also - with high price)
Segmented memory acquisition. What Rigol really have?
Siglent have real fast sequence mode. Up to 80000 segments with relative time stamps and maximum speed over 400kwfm/s (beats also these cheapest Keysight models just thands down and many times in speed and thousend times with segments max count)
Instead of these Rigol have some kind of "frame recorder" like segmented memory acg.
Siglent have max 1M FFT. What Rigol have? Yes, FFT is in feature list.
Siglent have full ADC sample resolution automatic measurements up to 14Mpts. One tiny example below attached. What Rigol have, some kind of very small second buffer (or perhaps just display memory) for measurements, well under 1000 data points. (it is well explained previously in this forum somewhere and it is really - really poor.
Siglent have best ever seen 3 channel SFRA in this scope class and example Keysight 1000X models SFRA is just like toy vs this Siglent version. (but it need external compatible signal generator)
But Rigol, nothing.
Siglent can also upgrade to full MSO with 4 analog and 16 digital channels.
Rigol, not possible.
Siglent have real full resoluition full bandwidth 500uV/div sensitivity. Rigol highest sensitivity full resolution full bandwidth is 5mV/div (1mV and 2mV/div are somehow magnified from 5mV/div.
(There is somewhere thread where I have tested it using my Rigol and also Sinc "bug" (what include also "mysterious" level error) Perhaps it can name Rig(x)/x instead of Sin(x)/x )
Then we can also talk about window zoom performance and trigger jitter and trigger accuracy, perhaps also how good is trigger position fine interpolation between true samples.
And simple small fact: Siglent horizontal scale 1ns/div - 100s/div. Rigol 5ns/div - 50s/div
Then example some nice things. In Siglent you can select two kind of vertical offset, fixed V level, fixed position. And same for Horizontal, fixed delay time or fixed position.
For gated measurtements gate cursors, it do not reserve normal cursors for this.
Color gradiend display. Some times help fast observation with eyes.
User interface speed. Even with much more brute force needing features it is still like J-16 Red Eagle vs Cessna 150
There is couple more things what differentate tools and toys but I think even this is like red for bull and Rigol fans start and and also soldiers who have one mans war against Siglent.
And, Siglent is not at all perfect, it is not high grade manufacturer like Teledyne, Keysight, Tektronix or R&S. But what have been one year, two year, four years and more ago, Siglent have developed lot of, but still need develop more themselves and do better. (and why Keysight compare to Rigol but not to Siglent. Reason is natural, They compare all what they can show they looks like win - or if not win then they select some settings what makes competitor loose and looks like Keysight win. They have always done it, even in simple or higher level aplication notes and not only in sales advertisements)
Just for very small and simplest example (you can find lot of things from forum and of course all what Rigol do not have they all are not nessessary - of course.).
This is impossible with Rigol. Can not do nothing even close this. And this is not at all most important thing - better say that one not so important thing but dry reality.
But then you look price, performance and features - these relationship is pretty good.
If we look situation what was just after old SDS2000 (no X) was launched and how unmatrure it first was. Today with example SDS1004X-E situation is very different. (as it is also today with SDS2000X series)
And yes, signal is 99.7ns wide (at 50% level)
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