UGREEN NASync DXP4800 Plus review – The NAS insider tip for 2025?

NASync DXP4800 Plus: Design, workmanship and scope of delivery

The NASync DXP4800 Plus appears robust and of high quality. The 26 x 18 x 18 cm case is largely made of sturdy, matte gray aluminum, while the front and back are made of plastic. The color difference is barely noticeable. UGREEN avoids any visual gimmicks, which I personally like. This gives the NAS a professional look and fits discreetly into almost any office environment.

On the front, there are four numbered drive bays with plastic frames that can be easily opened without tools. To install 3,5-inch hard drives, simply unfold the plastic bracket and click the drives into place. Installing 2,5-inch hard drives or SSDs, however, requires screws.

However, the included screwdriver is a bit too small and unwieldy for this purpose. In addition to the slots, the front left corner features an illuminated power button and status LEDs for network and drive activity. The LEDs can be disabled at specific times via the software.

On the front, the NASync DXP4800 Plus also offers a fast USB-C port (USB 3.2 Gen2, up to 10 Gbps), a USB-A port (also USB 3.2 Gen2), and an SD card reader (SD 3.0). The latter is particularly useful for transferring files from a mass storage device directly to the NAS without having to fiddle with the rear panel.

UGREEN has also put some thought into the rear panel. There's a magnetic, removable dust filter that prevents the built-in 140 mm fan from drawing excessive dust into the case. For me, this is a definite plus, as many NAS systems often turn out to be true dust magnets. If you want, you can even replace the entire fan. It's simply connected via a standard 4-pin connector.

Directly below the fan are connection options, including an HDMI port for 4K at up to 60 Hz, another USB 3.2 Gen 1 port, and two USB 2.0 ports. A real added value, however, is the network connection. In addition to the now almost standard 2,5 Gbps port, there's an additional, high-performance 10 Gbps port.

On the bottom of the NASync DXP4800 Plus, a small flap conceals the two M.2 slots and two DDR5 SO-DIMM slots, one of which is already equipped with 8 GB by default. The RAM can be upgraded up to 64 GB. The M.2 slots support NVMe SSDs (2280), which can be used either as cache or as additional storage. Incidentally, the UGOS operating system itself is located on a 128 GB M.2 SSD. However, access to these slots is only possible by further disassembling the case.

In addition to the NAS itself, the package includes an external HuntKey power supply (150,1 watts), two network cables, two keys for locking the hard drive bays, a small screwdriver, and two thermal pads to improve the cooling of optional M.2 SSDs.

NASync DXP4800 Plus: Software & User Interface

On the software side, the NASync DXP4800 Plus uses the company's own UGOS operating system. It is based on Debian 12 (Linux) and is managed via a modern web interface.

When the NASync series launched in spring 2024, UGOS, in particular, was heavily criticized. Many features were missing or buggy, and in direct comparisons with Synology DSM or TrueNAS, UGREEN couldn't keep up. Several months have passed since then, and UGOS is significantly more mature, stable, and comprehensive. But first things first.

Setup and user guidance

Initial setup is pleasingly simple. After the first boot, a setup wizard guides you through the basic settings, including creating a RAID array, network configuration, and user management. Those familiar with other NAS operating systems will quickly find their way around. The interface is clearly structured and visually reminiscent of Synology DSM or QNAP QTS. Icons are large, menus are logically organized, and the most important settings are accessible with just a few clicks.

Control is via the web interface, which is accessed via a browser on the local network. The UGREEN NAS app is also available for Android and iOS, allowing the NAS to be managed from a smartphone or tablet. The app covers almost all of the web interface's functions, including user management, file transfers, and system monitoring. Remote access via UGREENlink is also integrated, allowing the NAS to be accessed even when on the go, without having to manually configure port forwarding or VPN connections.

Window system and user experience

Similar to DSM and QTS, UGOS uses a classic window view, offering a desktop-like experience directly within the browser. Users can open multiple applications in parallel, move, minimize, and resize windows. This makes it feel less like a classic web interface and more like a complete operating system with true multitasking.

The web interface's performance is generally smooth and fast. However, slight lag can occur when many windows are open simultaneously, especially when the NAS is processing RAID synchronizations or large file transfers in the background. There's still room for improvement here, as systems like Synology DSM often remain more responsive in such situations.

Features and app offerings

A lot has changed in the App Center since its launch. While the selection was sparse at the beginning, UGREEN now offers a wide selection of applications. Particularly pleasing is the integration of Docker, which allows almost any container application to be run on the NAS. Popular applications such as Jellyfin, Home Assistant, qBittorrent (for torrents), and various backup tools are also on board.

Also new are the virtualization features. The NASync DXP4800 Plus now supports the creation and management of virtual machines (VMs). This allows entire operating systems, from Windows to Linux, to be run within the NAS. The implementation is generally successful, but there is still room for improvement. Performance and feature set are not quite on par with well-known virtualization platforms like Proxmox.

File systems and storage management

One plus point is support for Btrfs as a file system. This offers several advantages over ext4, including integrated snapshots, copy-on-write (CoW), and improved data integrity. In combination with classic RAID levels such as RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, and 10, customized storage solutions can be implemented.

The snapshot feature is useful for saving the state of the file system at a specific point in time. If a file is accidentally deleted or overwritten, or the system is infected with ransomware, the user can easily revert to an earlier snapshot.

One disadvantage compared to NAS operating systems such as TrueNAS is that UGOS doesn't support ZFS. The file system offers several additional advantages, including particularly strong data integrity and advanced RAID options. Therefore, those who rely specifically on ZFS features will need to switch to another operating system.

This is actually relatively easy, as TrueNAS, Unraid, and many other NAS systems are easy to install. However, it's important to back up UGOS. UGREEN doesn't currently provide an image for reinstalling UGOS!

Hard drives and SSDs are managed via the storage management in the web interface. Here, storage pools can be created, RAID arrays configured, and the SMART values ​​of the drives can be read. Using the two M.2 slots as SSD cache is also supported to optimize the NAS's read and write speeds.

Network and protocol support

UGOS Pro supports a wide range of network protocols, including:

•  SMB (Windows File Sharing)
•  NFS (Linux/Unix network shares)
•  FTP and FTPS for classic file transfers
•  Rsync for incremental backups to other servers
•  WebDAV for use as cloud storage
•  SSH and Telnet for terminal access
•  UPnP and Bonjour for automatic network detection

IPv6 support for DDNS was subsequently added, making it easier to access your dynamic IP address.

User management and security

User management in UGOS is clear and allows for detailed access rights assignment. Administrators can define specific permissions for individual user groups, such as access to specific directories or applications. Time-based permissions are also possible, which is particularly advantageous in office environments or with shared devices.

One area that still needs improvement is two-factor authentication (2FA). UGOS currently supports 2FA, but only via external authenticator apps. Deeper integration or alternative 2FA methods such as hardware-based security keys (e.g., YubiKey) are currently lacking.

Additionally, there's no native encryption of stored files. While NAS systems from Synology or TrueNAS offer features for encrypting individual directories or entire volumes, UGOS stores all data in plain text on the hard drives. This means that if the drive is physically accessed or removed, all stored data can be read without additional authentication. This is a significant disadvantage, especially for companies or users with sensitive data. While third-party encryption solutions can be used, direct system integration would be more convenient.

Notification system and log management

UGOS offers a well-structured notification system that informs users about important system events. These include notifications about new updates, hard drive problems, or RAID synchronizations. Notifications can be received both via the web interface and via email. Detailed log management also allows for tracking changes and system events.

NASync DXP4800 Plus: Power & Performance

I tested the UGREEN NASync DXP4800 Plus in various scenarios to verify its network and system performance. The tests were conducted with a Fritzbox 7590 (1 Gbit LAN) and a direct connection to the PC (2,5 Gbit LAN).

Since the NAS doesn't have a Thunderbolt 3 or Thunderbolt 4 port, a direct peer-to-peer connection with a Mac or PC wasn't possible. However, the two larger models, the DXP6800 Plus and DXP8800 Plus, support Thunderbolt 4, allowing them to be used as direct-attached storage (DAS).

CrystalDiskMark, NASTester, iPerf3, and a real-life data transfer of edited footage were used for the measurements. Both read and write speeds were tested. The NAS was able to fully utilize the bandwidth of the 1 Gbit and 2,5 Gbit network ports. In the 1 Gbit configuration, transfers reached a stable 112 MB/s, while the 2,5 Gbit port achieved around 280 MB/s.

The NAS also features a 10 Gbit network port, which theoretically could enable significantly higher transfer rates. However, since no suitable 10 Gbit infrastructure was available during testing, this value could not be verified.

CPU performance & system load

The NASync DXP4800 Plus is powered by an Intel Pentium Gold 8505 processor with 5 cores and 6 threads. Its maximum clock speed is 4,4 GHz, placing it between the NAS CPUs from Synology and QNAP. Unlike the Intel Celeron processors commonly used in these markets, the Pentium Gold 8505 offers higher single-core performance, which is particularly advantageous for database queries, Docker containers, and virtualization.

To test the computing power, various workloads were executed:

•  Docker containers (Home Assistant, qBittorrent, Jellyfin, Pi-hole)
•  Plex transcoding (4K H.265 → 1080p H.264)
•  iPerf3 network load with parallel file transfers
•  Virtualization performance with a Debian VM

The results show that the NAS with enabled hardware transcoding is fully capable of processing individual 4K streams directly, as long as the material can be shared in its original format or efficiently converted via QuickSync. The Pentium Gold 8505's integrated Intel UHD graphics support QuickSync, which makes hardware-accelerated transcoding, for example from 4K H.265 to 1080p H.264, possible. However, performance is limited compared to modern Intel Core processors with more powerful iGPUs. For Plex or Jellyfin users who frequently transcode multiple streams, a more powerful model with a more powerful GPU or CPU might be more appropriate.

Performance with Docker containers, on the other hand, is solid. Even with multiple containers running in parallel, CPU utilization remained moderate, and the system continued to respond smoothly. A Debian VM with two assigned cores also ran stably, but at least four or six cores are required for productive virtualization purposes.

The CPU is more than sufficient for traditional NAS tasks. However, for virtualization, multiple parallel containers, or compute-intensive workloads, you should consider whether a model with a more powerful CPU (e.g., Intel Core i5 in the larger UGREEN models) would be more appropriate.

RAID performance & build times

The NAS was equipped with four WD Red Plus 4 TB HDDs and configured in a RAID 5 array. Initializing and optimizing the RAID 5 took approximately nine hours before the system was ready for use. During this time, the NAS remained usable, albeit with limited write performance.

Particularly in comparison to Synology and QNAP, it's worth noting that UGREEN doesn't offer its own flexible RAID management like Synology SHR. This means that when combining HDDs with different capacities, only the smallest drive is used as the reference size. So, if you combine a 12 TB and an 8 TB HDD, for example, you'll lose the excess storage space.

Energy consumption & noise

The power consumption of the NAS depends heavily on the load and the installed drives. With four active HDDs, the test measured an average consumption of around 35 watts in idle mode and about 65 watts under load (data transfer/synchronization). In standby mode (with inactive HDDs), consumption dropped to around 22 watts.

Noise levels also depend heavily on the hard drives. The installed WD Red Plus 4 TB drives were barely audible during operation, with only occasional access noises noticeable. The 140 mm fan runs pleasantly quietly, but increases its speed under load, remaining unobtrusive overall.