Synology, Qnap & Co. are getting new competition from the Far East. Ugreen presents its first network storage (Network Attached Storage) under the series name NASync, which comes with powerful hardware. Five NAS systems with two to eight hard drive slots are the starting point; At the same time, a mini PC comes as a multimedia center.
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The two NAS entry-level models DXP2800 and DXP4800 use the Intel N100 processor with four efficiency cores. The DXP2800 takes two HDDs, the DXP4800 four. The latter builds HDD systems with RAID 5, 6 and 10. It includes 2.5 gigabit LAN and five USB ports, including USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbit/s).
The DXP4800 Plus uses the slightly faster Pentium Gold 8505 with one performance and four efficiency cores. An Ethernet port transmits 10 Gbit/s.
Ten-core processors
For the DXP6800 Pro and DXP8800 Plus, Ugreen uses Intel's Alder Lake processor Core i5-1235U with two performance and eight efficiency cores. Thanks to strong underclocking, the system should work efficiently, but still remain extremely fast by NAS standards.
Both models provide two sets of 10 Gigabit Ethernet. There are also two Thunderbolt 4 options, for example for a quick connection to a notebook or an SSD. The DXP6800 Pro has space for six hard drives, the DXP8800 Plus for eight models.
If you want to speed up data retrieval, you can install two M.2 SSDs as a cache in all NAS systems. A DDR5 memory bar with 8 GB capacity is installed in all models. A second DDR5 slot is free.
Too few functions in the operating system
Ugreen's own operating system, UGOS Pro, is pre-installed on internal flash memory. The two entry-level models DXP2800 and DXP4800 have 32 GB of eMMC soldered. All other NAS systems have a 128 GB SSD ex works.
The operating system is the only major point of criticism from many testers so far, as many functions are missing. Virtual machines or Docker, for example, cannot be set up, folders shared with several people cannot be encrypted and popular media players such as Kodi or Plex do not yet exist. Those interested must rely on updates.
Market launch via Kickstarter
Pre-orders start today, March 26th, 4 p.m. via the crowdfunding platform Kickstarter. Numerous test reports prove that Ugreen has already manufactured NAS systems – fraud like with some other hardware projects on Kickstarter is not to be expected. In addition, Ugreen is not a completely unknown manufacturer; in Germany there are, among other things, docking stations and power banks from the company.
Ugreen wants to attract customers with high discounts of 40 percent as part of the Kickstarter campaign. The NAS systems cost between $239 and $899, plus customs costs, import sales tax and shipping. The standard prices should be between 400 and 1500 US dollars, although it is questionable whether they will ever be called up.
NAS systems with fast processors are particularly expensive. Qnap, for example, offers numerous models with Core i 12000 CPUs that are actually found in desktop PCs, but then charges at least 1,500 euros – and the trend is rising steeply.
(mma)