RIGOL DHO800 vs DHO900: Which Oscilloscope Should You Choose?

Choose a RIGOL DHO800 when 70 MHz or 100 MHz bandwidth is sufficient and you want either two or four analogue channels in a compact 12-bit scope. Choose a DHO900 when you need 125 MHz or 250 MHz bandwidth, four analogue channels plus 16 digital inputs, deeper memory, or an S model with a built-in waveform generator and Bode Plot. Both families have 12-bit vertical resolution, a maximum real-time sample rate of 1.25 GSa/s and the same quoted UltraAcquire ceiling. The DHO900 is therefore an upgrade in bandwidth and system capability—not in every headline number.¹²

DHO800 vs DHO900 at a glance

The table compares the models currently listed by AIMITEK. It deliberately avoids live prices because price, VAT display and promotions can change by region and date.

These are family-level comparisons with model and mode qualifications. Memory and sample rate change with the number of active analogue channels, and the DHO900’s generator is not fitted to non-S models.¹²

What both families share

Both series are built around 12-bit acquisition, giving 4,096 nominal quantisation levels. If the practical meaning of that number is still fuzzy, our guide to 8-bit versus 12-bit oscilloscopes separates nominal resolution from noise, ENOB and accuracy.

The two families also share a maximum 1.25 GSa/s real-time sample rate. Their data sheets quote 30,000 waveforms/s in Vector mode and up to 1,000,000 waveforms/s in UltraAcquire mode. Both list a maximum of 500,000 frames for hardware waveform recording and playback, plus a 7-inch 1024 × 600 capacitive touchscreen.¹²

That common platform matters. Moving from a DHO800 to a DHO900 does not buy a higher maximum sampling rate or more nominal ADC bits. If either of those is the only number on your shopping list, the comparison has already wandered off course.

Bandwidth is the first practical dividing line

The DHO800 models in this comparison cover two bandwidth tiers:

• DHO802: 70 MHz, two analogue channels
• DHO804: 70 MHz, four analogue channels
• DHO812: 100 MHz, two analogue channels
• DHO814: 100 MHz, four analogue channels

The DHO900 starts above that range and stays with four analogue channels:

• DHO914 and DHO914S: 125 MHz
• DHO924 and DHO924S: 250 MHz

RIGOL specifies typical 10–90% rise times of no more than 5 ns and 3.5 ns for the 70 MHz and 100 MHz DHO800 tiers. The corresponding DHO900 figures are no more than 2.8 ns at 125 MHz and 1.4 ns at 250 MHz.¹² Those values describe the oscilloscope front end under the manufacturer’s conditions; they are not promises about the rise time of a signal measured through an arbitrary probe and connection.

Choose bandwidth around the fastest signal content you need to preserve, not around the device’s clock label alone. A clean 10 MHz clock with slow edges may be comfortable on a DHO800, while a nominally low-frequency signal with sharp transitions can demand more. For a full method, see How to Choose an Oscilloscope.

The 250 MHz DHO924/DHO924S is the obvious choice within these two families when 100 MHz is genuinely too restrictive. It is not automatically the sensible choice for low-frequency power rails, teaching labs or repair work. Unused bandwidth does not solve an unrelated measurement problem—and wider bandwidth can admit more broadband noise.

Two analogue channels or four—and when digital channels matter

The DHO800 is the only family here with two-channel models. A DHO802 or DHO812 can be a direct fit for input-versus-output measurements, basic power-rail work, repair benches and teaching exercises where no more than two analogue signals must remain time-correlated.

Choose a four-channel DHO804 or DHO814 when you need several analogue nodes at once: power, reset, clock and data during start-up, for example. Moving to the DHO900 does not add more analogue channels; it stays at four.

The DHO900 changes the picture by adding 16 digital input channels. The capability is standard in the series, but acquisition requires the separately purchased RIGOL PLA2216 logic probe.² That distinction belongs in the purchase plan. A connector on the front panel is not a complete logic-analysis setup sitting in the box.

Digital channels are useful when an embedded system has more logic lines than you can spare analogue inputs for. You can keep the four analogue channels on rails, sensors or edge quality while using digital inputs for address, control or bus-state context. The DHO900 also adds LIN to the RS232/UART, I²C, SPI and CAN decoding present in the compared DHO800 models.¹²

Memory gets deeper, but active channels still matter

The DHO900’s maximum memory depth is 50 Mpoints, twice the DHO800’s 25 Mpoint single-channel maximum. That is only the first line of the table.

For four-channel DHO800 models, RIGOL specifies 25 Mpoints with one active analogue channel, 10 Mpoints with two, and 5 Mpoints with all four. For the DHO900, the corresponding figures are 50, 25 and 10 Mpoints. The two-channel DHO800 models provide 25 Mpoints with one channel and 10 Mpoints with both channels active.¹²

Analogue sample-rate allocation is similar. Four-channel models in both families reach 1.25 GSa/s with one channel, 625 MSa/s with two, and 312.5 MSa/s with all four enabled. The two-channel DHO800 models provide 1.25 GSa/s on one channel and 625 MSa/s with both active.¹²

Deeper memory helps when you must retain a high sample rate across a longer record, search a lengthy protocol transaction or inspect detail around an intermittent event. It is less important for a stable repetitive waveform that fits comfortably in a short acquisition. More memory is useful when the job consumes it, not because a product table has room for another zero.

DHO900 S models: when AFG and Bode Plot change the decision

The “S” suffix is the other major dividing line. DHO914S and DHO924S include a single-channel arbitrary/function generator and Bode Plot analysis. RIGOL specifies the AFG with a maximum frequency of 25 MHz and notes that the AFG and Bode functions apply only to the S models.²

That combination is useful for frequency-response work, basic stimulus-and-response measurements and control-loop investigation where the integrated source meets the required amplitude, frequency and connection needs. It can also reduce the number of boxes on a teaching or development bench.

Do not buy the S model merely because an extra BNC socket looks reassuring. A separate generator can still be preferable when you need more channels, greater output range, a different waveform specification or independent use while the scope is occupied. Conversely, if Bode Plot is central to your work, a non-S DHO914 or DHO924 is not “almost the same”; it omits the required built-in source and analysis function.

Does the 200 µV/div setting make the DHO900 more accurate?

The DHO900 reaches 200 µV/div, while the DHO800 starts at 500 µV/div.¹² The smaller scale can help a low-level signal occupy more of the display, which makes it relevant to ripple, sensor and analogue-front-end work.

It does not by itself prove lower noise or better total accuracy. Both data sheets must be read for noise, gain accuracy, offset accuracy, bandwidth and test conditions. The probe and connection remain part of the result. A long ground lead can add enough unwanted signal to make a fine vertical setting look wonderfully busy and entirely unhelpful.

The correct question is whether the complete DHO900 signal path, at the scale and bandwidth you intend to use, reveals information that the DHO800 configuration cannot. The 200 µV/div setting is one useful part of that answer, not the whole answer.

Exact model selector

All DHO900 choices in the table provide the 16-channel digital-input capability, but the PLA2216 probe remains a separate requirement for using it. Confirm standard accessories, software functions and regional configuration on the exact product page and quotation before ordering.

When the DHO800 is the better fit

The RIGOL DHO800 at AIMITEK is the more direct fit when:³

• the required bandwidth is no more than 70 MHz or 100 MHz;
• two analogue channels are enough and you do not want to pay for unused inputs;
• mixed-signal digital inputs are not part of the workflow;
• 25 Mpoints maximum memory covers the required record length;
• you already have a suitable external signal generator, or do not need one.

None of those conditions is a compromise if it accurately describes the measurement. Buying capability you cannot connect to a real task is simply a creative way to store budget on the shelf.

When the DHO900 earns its place

The RIGOL DHO900 at AIMITEK becomes the stronger choice when:⁴

• 125 MHz or 250 MHz bandwidth is required;
• you need four analogue channels plus digital-state context;
• 50/25/10 Mpoint memory at one/two/four active analogue channels materially improves the capture;
• LIN decoding is required alongside the other supported buses;
• 200 µV/div is useful for the low-level signal range;
• a DHO914S or DHO924S can replace a separate generator for the intended Bode or stimulus work.

The extra capability should map to at least one of those jobs. If it does not, the DHO900’s longer feature list is not evidence that it will produce a better answer.

Frequently asked questions

Does the DHO900 have better vertical resolution than the DHO800?

No. Both families use 12-bit vertical resolution. The DHO900 offers a lower minimum vertical scale and other system improvements, but not a larger nominal ADC bit count.¹²

Is the DHO900 sample rate higher?

No. Both have a maximum real-time sample rate of 1.25 GSa/s. The rate falls as more analogue channels are active, so compare the intended channel configuration.¹²

Does every DHO900 include a waveform generator?

No. The built-in AFG and Bode Plot apply to DHO914S and DHO924S. DHO914 and DHO924 are non-S models.²

Are the DHO900’s 16 digital channels ready to use without an accessory?

No. The capability is standard, but RIGOL specifies that the PLA2216 logic analyser probe must be purchased to acquire digital inputs.²

Is the DHO924S always the best choice?

No. It is the fullest-featured model in this comparison, but it may add bandwidth and integration that a 70 MHz, 100 MHz or 125 MHz application does not need. Suitability depends on the signal, channels, record length and required analysis tools.

Final decision

Choose the DHO800 for a compact 12-bit instrument when its 70/100 MHz bandwidth, two/four-channel options and channel-dependent memory fit the task. Move to the DHO900 for 125/250 MHz bandwidth, deeper records, mixed-signal work, LIN decoding or the S-model generator and Bode Plot.

You can compare the full AIMITEK digital oscilloscope range. If the choice is still close, contact AIMITEK with the fastest edge or highest relevant frequency, required analogue and digital channels, capture duration, smallest voltage detail and whether an integrated generator is needed. That short specification is enough to turn two attractive product pages into one defensible shortlist.

References

1. RIGOL Technologies, DHO800 Series Data Sheet, accessed 15 September 2026.
2. RIGOL Technologies, DHO900 Series Data Sheet, accessed 15 September 2026.
3. AIMITEK, RIGOL DHO800 product page, accessed 15 September 2026.
4. AIMITEK, RIGOL DHO900 product page, accessed 15 September 2026.