FNIRSI 1014D vs Rigol DS1054Z
Head-to-head spec comparison to help you pick the right scope for your bench.
FNIRSI
$169.99
Rigol
$349
Spec-by-Spec Comparison
| Spec | FNIRSI 1014D | Rigol DS1054Z |
|---|---|---|
| Bandwidth | 100 MHz | 50 MHz |
| Sample Rate | 1 GSa/s | 1 GSa/s |
| Channels | 2 | 4 |
| Memory Depth | 240 Kpts | 12 Mpts |
| Display Size | 7" | 7" |
| Weight | 0.68 kg | 3.2 kg |
| Price | $169.99 | $349 |
| Rating | 5.5/10 | 8.5/10 |
| Protocol Decoder | No | Yes |
| Function Gen | Yes | No |
| WiFi | No | No |
| Battery | Yes | No |
| Buy on Amazon | Buy on Amazon |
Pros & Cons
FNIRSI 1014D
Pros
- Affordable entry point at ~$115
- Built-in function generator is rare at this price
- Portable tablet form factor with battery backup
- Touchscreen interface is genuinely intuitive for beginners
- 100MHz bandwidth is impressive for an $80 scope
Cons
- 240Kpt memory depth is dangerously shallow — you'll hit this limit fast
- Build quality is plasticky; the corners flex under light pressure
- Calibration and accuracy lag well behind established brands
- No protocol decoding — can't decode SPI or I2C
- Firmware updates have been inconsistent
Rigol DS1054Z
Pros
- 4 channels for $349 — nearly every competitor at this price is 2-channel, making it the go-to pick when you need clock, data, enable, and ground all visible at once
- 12Mpt memory depth captures long protocol bursts that 1–2Mpt scopes miss — a full UART session at 115200 baud across hundreds of milliseconds stays in buffer without retriggering
- A well-documented firmware procedure unlocks 100MHz bandwidth from the stock 50MHz — the community has published step-by-step guides since 2015 and it takes under 10 minutes
- SPI, I2C, UART, and RS232 protocol decoding included with no upsell — some competitors charge extra license fees for the same decoders
- Ten years of community answers: searching 'DS1054Z + [your problem]' returns solved threads on EEVblog, r/AskElectronics, and YouTube before you finish typing
Cons
- 50MHz stock bandwidth can't cleanly capture SPI clocks above ~10MHz or RF signals — the firmware unlock helps, but it's still a soft ceiling
- Menu navigation is physical-button-only — no touchscreen, no scroll wheel; takes a few sessions to get fluent
- Interface looks dated next to modern touchscreen scopes; not a functional problem, but noticeable
- Anyone doing daily professional bench work should budget for the DHO924S — the touchscreen and 250MHz bandwidth are genuinely worth the extra $550 at that usage level
Our Verdicts
FNIRSI 1014D
The FNIRSI 1014D is one of the cheapest ways to get a real oscilloscope on your bench. At around $115, it's hard to complain about 100MHz bandwidth and a built-in signal generator — both of which would cost more from Hantek. The honest limitation is the 240Kpt memory depth, which is genuinely painful the moment you try to capture anything longer than a few milliseconds at full sample rate. I'd call this a learning tool, not a precision instrument. If you just want to see what your Arduino signals look like and learn what triggering means, it's a solid starting point. But if you need to trust your measurements or capture serial transactions, save up for a Rigol or Siglent — you'll thank yourself later.
Rigol DS1054Z
If you're buying your first oscilloscope to learn embedded systems, debug Arduino or ESP32 projects, or study signals at school, buy the DS1054Z — 4 channels, full protocol decoders, and a decade of community support for $349 is a package that still has no real competition at this price. Don't buy it if you do professional bench work daily or need clean capture above 50MHz; for that, the DHO924S at $899 is the right tool. The honest tradeoff: DS1054Z gives you 4 channels and the largest hobbyist knowledge base on the internet; DHO924S gives you 250MHz and a touchscreen for $550 more. For a first scope for a hobbyist, student, or maker, this is the buy.