Ugreen NASync DXP4800Plus 4-bay NAS Review

Ugreen may be a new name to some but the Chinese manufacturer has been in the electronic devices and accessories business since 2012 with a portfolio that includes GaN charging devices, power banks (including solar ones) and a range of accessories for computers and mobile-phones.

Now they have branched out into the storage market with a six-model NAS range called the NASync series – with a single 2-bay model, two four-bay models, six and eight-bay devices and an all-flash-based NAS, the DXP480T Plus. The NAS we are looking at here, the four-bay NASync DXP4800 Plus, sits in the middle of the range.

At the heart of the NASync DXP4800 Plus is an Intel Pentium Gold 8505 (code name Alder Lake-U). Built on a 10nm process the 8505 is a 12th Gen processor running at 1.2GHz (turbo boost 4.4GHz) and has five cores and six threads.  This is an interesting choice as the standard NASync DXP4800 uses a 13th Gen Intel Processor N, but the reason is quite simple, the 8505 has a better feature set; 64GB memory support, better-integrated graphics and maybe most important of all 20 lanes of PCIe Gen 4 rather than the 9 lanes of PCIe Gen 3 that the N supports. This is backed by 8GB of DDR5-4800 memory. The motherboard in the DXP4800 Plus provides two SO-DIMM slots that support up to 64GB of memory.

The rest of the hardware package of the DXP4800 Plus is pretty impressive. There are two RJ-45 ports, one 2.5GbE and the other 10GbE. There are two M.2 slots behind a hatch in the base of the unit. These are PCIe 4.0 that only support 2280 format drives. Next to these slots are the two SO-DIMM memory slots. When it comes to USB support the DXP4800 Plus has two 3.2 Gen 2 ports, one Type-A and the other Type-C. There's a single USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A port and a pair of USB 2.0 Type-A ports. Finally, there is an HDMI port and somewhat of a surprise, an SD 3.0 card slot.

The NASync DXP4800 Plus is a well-built, clean design NAS with an aluminium alloy chassis. The four vertically mounted drive bays have lockable doors but these aren't conventional locks so if you lose the bundled keys a flat-bladed screwdriver should open them. The drive bays are tool-free (for 3.5in. drives), with the base of the tray sliding open a little way allowing the drive installation. Also, a neat design touch is that the dust filter for the cooling fan on the back panel of the NAS is magnetic, something other NAS manufacturers might like to think about adopting.

So what about the OS? Well, it's being developed in-house by Ugreen. Based on Debian 12, UGOS Pro is what the company has named the software and being developed are the keywords here as it's not the finished article yet as there are some features missing. Having said that it is easy to use and the initial screen has, if you are a regular user of a certain brand of NAS devices, a very familiar look.

Just one glance at the App center shows you that we are dealing with a new kid on the block. If you are used to what companies like Synology or Qnap offer as apps then you will be in for a shock as currently the UGOS Pro app center is very sparsely populated although one very recent addition is welcome as now there is support for Docker. Although it's still being developed, the OS shows great potential and fingers crossed that Ugreen keep updating the software as time passes.

Originally the Ugreen NASync DXP4800 Plus was only available on Kickstarter and then only in the US and Germany – which is a bit of a kick in the teeth for the rest of the world. You can learn more on Ugreen's website HERE.

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Pros

• Choice of hardware.
• 2.5GbE and 10GbE connectivity.
• Can support up to 64GB of DDR5 memory.
• Two 2280 PCIe Gen4 NVMe SSD slots.
• Magnetic dust filter.
• OS on dedicated SSD.

Cons

• UGOS Pro OS is in its early stages and needs development.
• Occasional thermal concerns.
• Cooling fan can get very noisy.
• 2-year warranty only.

KitGuru says: A new brand in the NAS marketspace is always welcome and although it's early days, devices like the NASync DXP4800 Plus show plenty of promise for Ugreen in the market segment. If – and it a pretty important if – Ugreen keeps developing the hardware and more importantly the UGOS Pro OS, then the established NAS manufacturers will have to face some stiff competition in the future.

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