Bandwidth is the frequency at which the input starts to shrink a signal by a defined amount; sample rate is how many measurements per second the converter takes. They are different figures, both have to exceed what is being measured, and a high value of one does not make up for a low value of the other.
Oscilloscope listings put two large numbers side by side, and they answer different questions.
Bandwidth
The bandwidth, in megahertz, is the frequency at which the scope’s input attenuates a sine wave by a defined amount. Signals near that frequency are displayed smaller and with softened edges. Fast digital edges contain frequencies well above their repetition rate, so a signal can suffer even when its nominal frequency is below the bandwidth.
Sample rate
The sample rate, in samples per second, is how often the analogue-to-digital converter measures the input. It has to be comfortably higher than the frequencies being displayed, or the waveform is reconstructed from too few points.
Why they are separate
A scope with a very high sample rate and a low bandwidth samples an already-softened signal in great detail. A scope with a high bandwidth and a low sample rate lets the signal through and then measures it too rarely. Both figures must suit the work.
Figures that sit beside them
Memory depth, which sets how long a high-rate capture can last. Channels, analogue and digital. Probe bandwidth, because a probe rated below the scope limits the whole chain.
How this site reports them
Bandwidth and sample rate are reported as two published specifications, never merged into a single measure of quality, and neither is described as the accuracy of a measurement.
If this page and the manufacturer’s manual disagree, follow the manual. Every laser power, speed, build volume, resolution, temperature and safety rating on this page is taken from the maker’s own documentation, with its unit as published and its source named — none of it is measured here. A figure is written the way the maker states it and is not converted into another convention, because the converted value would be a different number. And for any resolution figure: a screen’s pixel pitch, a minimum layer height or a step size is a specification of the machine, not a tolerance measured on a part. The accuracy of a finished object depends on the material, the calibration and the design. This page reports the maker’s figure as a specification and never as a guaranteed precision.
Questions makers ask before buying
How much bandwidth is enough?
A common rule of thumb is several times the highest frequency of interest, because signals with sharp edges contain higher frequencies than their repetition rate suggests.
Does memory depth matter as much?
For long captures, yes. At a high sample rate a scope fills its memory quickly, and memory depth decides how long it can capture before it has to lower the sample rate.
Last reviewed 15 September 2026