Ugreen NAS DXP2800 Review: The New King of Home Storage
Price last updated: Feb 1, 2026
Where to Buy
Pros
- ✓ Intel N100 (4-core) CPU is a beast for Plex Transcoding (4K HDR!)
- ✓ 8GB DDR5 RAM included (expandable to 16GB) — unheard of at this price
- ✓ Dual M.2 NVMe slots for caching or storage volume
- ✓ 2.5GbE Ethernet port enables >280MB/s speeds
- ✓ All-aluminum build feels premium and runs cool
- ✓ HDMI Output turns it into a direct media player
Cons
- ✗ UGOS Pro software is still maturing (features arriving monthly)
- ✗ No 10GbE port (but for 2-bay, do you need it?)
- ✗ Fan can be audible under heavy load (e.g., during RAID rebuild)
- ✗ Initial setup requires internet connection (account activation)
Verdict: The hardware destroys Synology. The software is catching up fast. For Plex/Homelab, buy this.
Overview
For years, Synology sold us underpowered dual-core Celeron chips with 2GB RAM for €400+. Ugreen entered the market and dropped a Quad-Core N100 with 8GB DDR5 for the same price. It’s like getting a Mac Mini for the price of a Raspberry Pi.
Hardware Specs: Overkill
The Intel N100 is the star here. It supports AV1 decoding and QuickSync.
- Plex Performance: I tested 3 simultaneous 4K HDR transcodes. It barely hit 40% CPU usage.
- Docker Containers: Running Home Assistant, Pi-Hole, and 10 other containers consumes <2GB of the 8GB RAM. It’s a homelab powerhouse in a tiny box.
Networking & Storage
- 2.5GbE: Finally standard. If you have a 2.5G switch, file transfers saturate the drives (~280MB/s read/write).
- M.2 NVMe: Two slots. You can use them as a read/write cache (speed up small file transfers) or as a separate high-speed volume for Docker containers.
- Bays: The tool-less trays fit 3.5” HDDs (up to 22TB each) or 2.5” SSDs.
Software: UGOS Pro
This is where the skepticism lies.
- The Good: The UI is clean, modern, and fast. The mobile app backs up photos reliably.
- The Bad: Some advanced RAID features (like shrinking volumes) are missing compared to Synology DSM. But for 99% of home users, it has File Manager, Docker, and Photos app. That’s enough.
Comparison
Vs Synology DS224+: The DS224+ costs roughly the same but has a dual-core J4125 (much slower), 2GB RAM (soldered), and 1GbE ports. It’s archaic hardware. Unless you rely on Synology Active Backup for Business, the Ugreen destroys it hardware-wise.
Final Verdict
If you are a tinkerer who wants hardware that won’t bottleneck you in 2 years, get the DXP2800. It is the best 2-bay NAS hardware on the planet right now. Even if you install TrueNAS Scale on it (yes, you can boot from USB!), it’s a steal.