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Once I examined the DXP4800 Plus two years in the past, I known as it an unmatched worth. It is nonetheless a fantastic alternative in 2026, however for those who’re seeking to get a brand new 4-bay NAS, UGREEN has a brand new variant dubbed the DXP4800 Professional. It has the identical design, comparable options because the DXP4800 Plus, and also you get the identical connectivity: 10 Gigabit Ethernet alongside a 2.5 Gigabit port.
The important thing distinction is that the DXP4800 Professional is powered by the 6-core Intel Core i3-1315U. This platform handles multi-core workloads higher, has AV1 {hardware} decode, and does a greater job with {hardware} transcodes. Aside from that, the NAS has two M.2 slots, accommodates as much as 96GB of DDR5 RAM (it comes with 8GB put in), and also you get the same old assortment of USB ports.
The DXP4800 Professional does not value far more than different 4-bay NAS fashions
Principally, the DXP4800 Professional is a mid-cycle refresh of the DXP4800 Plus. You are not getting generational positive aspects in any space, and the pricing displays that. UGREEN remains to be promoting the DXP4800 Plus at $656, and the DXP4800 Professional prices $719 as of writing, a $63 improve.
To place issues into context, the DiskStation DS925+ is obtainable for $629, however you aren’t getting 10GbE connectivity. Having used the DS925+ extensively, I can state with some confidence that the DXP4800 Professional is a better option in order for you the very best {hardware} on this class, and whereas the software program is not fairly pretty much as good, you possibly can at all times roll your individual — UGREEN enables you to set up TrueNAS or some other platform with none points.
The DXP4800 Professional has a sturdy design and all of the options you want
The DXP4800 Professional seems similar to the Plus mannequin; UGREEN did not change the design in any respect, and that is a very good factor. You get a metallic unibody chassis that is constructed to final, 4 drive bays, SD card reader, USB-C, and USB-A connectivity on the entrance. It is easy to put in 3.5-inch HDDs into the NAS due to the toolless design, and the {hardware} seems elegant. It has good air flow as nicely due to the rear-mounted fan, and there is a mud filter.
The rear of the NAS homes all of the connectivity choices. You get a ten Gigabit Ethernet port alongside a 2.5GbE port, and there is HDMI 2.0 out, USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 and USB-A 2.0 ports. Principally, you get all of the ports you will want, and the inclusion of 10GbE connectivity — identical to the DXP4800 Plus — makes it future-proof.
You may discover the M.2 slots on the underside of the unit, and it is easy to put in SSDs if you wish to increase mechanical drives with sooner storage. The SO-DIMM slots are subsequent to the storage, and also you get an 8GB DDR5 module put in out of the field. What’s fascinating in regards to the DXP4800 Professional is that you could set up a complete of 96GB of reminiscence, and also you get barely larger reminiscence bandwidth (5600MT/s) out of the field. Whereas 96GB will probably be overkill, I might recommend putting in one other 8GB module in there for those who want further reminiscence headroom.
On that observe, the NAS consumes somewhat extra energy than the Plus mannequin. I seen idle energy draw of 26W, going as much as 60W when drives are lively. Most NAS fashions on this class normally include a 120W energy brick, however the DXP4800 Professional has 150W, and it is clear that it has a better energy threshold. It is not an enormous deal, however as a tool that is meant to run 24/7, I needed to focus on it.
That is the very best 4-bay NAS you should purchase in 2026
Coming to on a regular basis use, the DXP4800 Professional is indubitably one of many greatest 4-bay Plex NAS servers round. It handles {hardware} transcodes with none points, and the place I seen a distinction in opposition to the Plus mannequin is that it has a better headroom with transcodes usually. You probably have an in depth 4K media library and wish a 4-bay mannequin that excels at {hardware} transcoding and contains AV1 decode, the DXP4800 Professional is the one to get.
Whereas UGREEN’s software program efforts are getting higher, you continue to do not get the identical variety of pre-installed utilities as different main NAS fashions. Do not get me improper; the net interface is clear and fluid, and also you get the necessities — file administration, knowledge storage and group, sync with public cloud storage platforms, and native music/video utilities. There is not any built-in Plex consumer (Jellyfin is obtainable), however as you may have Docker, you possibly can simply set up Plex or some other media utility you want.
I slotted in 4 6TB IronWolf drives and two 1TB Gen 4 SSDs into the DXP4800 Professional, and after a month of use, I did not discover any issues. I used a half-dozen UGREEN NAS fashions within the final three years and did not see any {hardware} points in that point, so long-term reliability is not one thing you have to fear about. The NAS dealt with transfers simply as admirably as different 10GbE fashions I’ve readily available, saturating the boundaries of the mechanical drives and maxing out the SSDs whereas transferring knowledge over a 10GbE swap to a different NAS.
Finally, the DXP4800 Professional offers you somewhat higher headroom. It’s similar to the Plus mannequin in some ways, nevertheless it’s barely sooner, and also you get just a few extras, together with AV1. Contemplating the minor improve in value over the DXP4800 Plus, I might recommend getting the Professional mannequin for those who want a brand new 4-bay NAS in 2026. The benefits might not look like so much proper now, however they are going to add up over time.
The DXP4800 Professional has a sturdy design, 10GbE connectivity, M.2 slots, sooner reminiscence, and all of the software program extensibility you want. If you happen to want a brand new NAS or wish to purchase a neighborhood storage server in 2026, that is the one I might recommend.