UGREEN NASync DXP480T Plus Review for Backups & Entertainment

If you edit videos, manage a large Lightroom catalog, or simply want to back up family memories while streaming the occasional 4K movie on Plex, this NAS could be the solution you’ve been waiting for.

This review will cover its performance in real-world creative scenarios, ease of setup, and whether it’s a worthwhile investment.

What is the UGREEN NASync DXP480T Plus?

The UGREEN NASync DXP480T Plus is a small, four-bay network-attached storage (NAS) unit tailored for all-flash storage, equipped with M.2 NVMe slots.

It runs on an Intel Core i5-1235U processor and features 8GB of DDR5 memory, which can be expanded.

Additionally, it includes a 10GbE port and Thunderbolt 4 for quick data transfer and remote access.

Who is UGREEN?

UGREEN is a Chinese consumer electronics company specialising in charging devices and phone, computer, home and automobile accessories.

It’s known for offering a diverse range of high-quality and innovative digital accessories (such as the Ai NAS to be released in September), at competitive prices.

NASync DXP480T Plus Tech Specs

Processor:
12th Generation Intel Core i5-1235U
10 Cores, 12 Threads

Memory:
8GB DDR5 RAM and Expandable up to 64GB.

Storage:
4x M.2 NVMe SSD Slots
Supports up to 32TB total storage capacity

Connectivity:
1x 10GbE Network Port
Wi-Fi 6
8K HDMI
2x Thunderbolt 4 Ports
1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Port
1x 3.5mm Audio Jack

Design and Build Quality

The DXP480T Plus is a well-constructed piece of equipment.

It resembles a sleek mini PC more than a conventional NAS, thanks to its aluminum alloy casing and compact design.

About the size of a thick book, it fits neatly on a desk or shelf without taking up much space.

There are no flashy lights or unnecessary bulk; just a simple and functional design.

The back of the device is neatly organized with dual Thunderbolt 4 ports, 10GbE, HDMI, USB-A, and a power input.

Installing the four M.2 SSDs was straightforward with the provided screwdriver and screws.

Two small fans underneath manage the cooling, and in “Quiet” mode, it’s barely audible, making it ideal for a home studio.

The fans only become slightly louder under heavy load, producing a gentle hum rather than a loud noise.

The build quality is solid and not flimsy. While it’s not designed for portability, it’s sturdy enough to withstand the bumps of a regular workspace.

Performance for Media Handling

This DXP480T Plus NAS is designed for speed, and in my testing, it certainly delivers.

With four Samsung 990 Pro SSDs and 10GbE connectivity, file transfer speeds consistently reach around 1.1GB/s.

I managed to transfer a 50GB folder of RAW photos from my MacBook Pro’s hard drive to the SSD in the NAS in under a minute.

(I’ll discuss more about the SSD later in the review.)

Lightroom catalogs open instantly, and browsing RAW photos, switching between images, and exporting files feel like working on a local SSD.

The same goes for iMovie; I edited 4K Insta360 Go footage directly from the NAS without any issues. Thunderbolt 4 connections apparently offer similar speed benefits, but I didn’t manage to review this for myself.

For Plex, streaming was seamless. I played 4K movies and my favourite Gangs of London from the NAS to my TV and 1080p to my iPad without buffering.

The Intel i5 CPU can manage multiple streams, and if your media doesn’t require transcoding, it performs exceptionally well.

Whether you’re editing, backing up, or streaming, the NAS remains efficient without slowing you down.

Storage Capacity and Organization

With four M.2 NVMe slots supporting up to 32TB in total, storage flexibility is a significant advantage.

I wanted to try setting up a RAID5 array with three drives, which is how I set up my older WD NAS, but unfortunately I only had one SSD to play with.

Nevertheless, UGREEN’s OS allows for easy creation of different shared folders, so I organised my work with separate shares for Photography, Video, Media, and Backups.

You can map these to different devices, and it all functions seamlessly.

I chose to install the UGREEN desktop app to manage the files and folders, since using it was more intuitive to me than the mobile app.

I also like how it displays as a full (virtual) desktop within my Mac desktop, as you can see in the screenshot above.

The AI-powered photo album feature is surprisingly useful. It automatically tags faces and scenes, enabling you to search for “beach” or a person’s name and get instant results.

While not perfect, nor as good as Lightroom’s, it’s a useful (free) tool for organizing extensive image libraries.

Ease of Use and Setup

Setup was more straightforward than I was expecting.

After installing the SSDs, the NAS booted up and guided me through the setup with a clean web interface.

Creating storage pools, shares, and user permissions was simple and fast, even for a not particularly tech-savvy ‘senior’ like me!

The included UGREEN app for Windows and macOS makes folder syncing and backup simple to set up without complex settings.

While the UI isn’t as polished as some others I’ve used, it’s still functional and clear.

For everyday use, it just operates (very) quietly in the background.

Price and Value for Money

The NASync DXP480T Plus is not inexpensive – you’re looking at a price range of around US$900, but remember – that excludes the cost of SSDs.

Compared to other all-flash NAS options with Thunderbolt and 10GbE, it is competitively priced, but you’ll need to shop around for reasonably priced SSDs to fill between one to four of the drive bays.

I managed to find a 2TB Samsung SSD on sale for around US$190 on Amazon, but there are a plethora of other options available.

(The representative at UGREEN recommended the Samsung 990 Pro for testing.)

For creative professionals, time equals money. If this NAS saves you even 10 minutes a day on backups, edits, or transfers, it pays for itself over time.

Considering the longevity of SSDs and low maintenance, the value quickly adds up.

If speed is not crucial for you, there are certainly cheaper alternatives that utilise big, clunky HDDs.

However, if rapid access to large files is a daily necessity, this NAS is an appealing choice.

Don’t forget that you can also access your data remotely, which could save you some money on any cloud backup solutions you previously had in place.

How I Tested the UGREEN DXP480T Plus

Over three weeks, I used the NAS as my primary storage hub. I installed one 2TB Samsung 990 Pro SSD, and transferred over 1TB of photos, videos, and backups.

I edited a couple of 4K projects in iMovie directly from the NAS, managed my Lightroom library (over 10GB of RAW images from various cameras), and ran a Plex server to stream movies around the house.

To test the remote access features, I tried editing some Lightroom Classic files from a cafe with WiFi access, and it performed flawlessly.

For those who don’t want to pay for ongoing Cloud subscriptions (such as Adobe Creative Cloud), having a NAS that’s accessible from anywhere in the world is hugely liberating.

I’ll eventually also use it for a nightly Time Machine backup, when I add more drives to add a layer of redundancy to the system.

During testing, the NAS remained stable, quick, and (most impressively) very quiet. Even large transfers didn’t stress it.

As you can probably tell by the lack of speed app data, this review definitely isn’t a lab test.

Instead, I used it as I would in my normal creative workflow to get a feel for everyday usefulness.

Alternatives to the NASync DXP480T Plus

These are some other options available depending on your needs.

For transparency, I haven’t used these products – the options below were simply the result of some forum research and asking a techie friend:

• TerraMaster F4-424: Similar CPU and dual 10GbE, but uses HDDs with NVMe caching. Less expensive, but not as fast for direct SSD performance.
• Synology DS920+: Excellent software and community, but limited to Gigabit unless you invest in a network card. Uses SATA drives.
• QNAP TS-464: Good performance with a range of apps but limited to 2.5GbE unless upgraded. NVMe serves as a cache only.

Looking at specs alone, none of the above can quite match the NASync’s combination of all-NVMe storage, Thunderbolt 4, and 10GbE at this price point.

FAQs

Can I edit photos and videos directly from the NAS?

Yes. With Thunderbolt or 10GbE, it functions like a fast external SSD. I faced no issues editing large projects directly.

Is it noisy?

No. In Quiet mode, fan noise is minimal. Under load, it’s more noticeable but not at all distracting.

Is RAID necessary?

No, but it’s recommended. My recommendation is to use RAID5, which offers a good balance of speed and data protection. Still, be sure to make external backups too – RAID definitely isn’t a complete backup solution.

Do I need special SSDs?

No. Any M.2 NVMe 2280 drive should be compatible. I used Samsung 990 Pros.

Is this NAS compatible with Mac and Windows?

Yes. It works with both, offering Time Machine support for Mac and SMB for Windows.

Do I need a 10GbE switch?

Only if you want to share high speeds across multiple devices. Otherwise, use Thunderbolt or direct 10GbE to a single computer.

Final Words

The UGREEN NASync DXP480T Plus has become something of a quiet hero in my home office!

It’s not some kind of ‘sexy’ gadget I knew I wanted, but now I can’t imagine working without it.

Previously, I used a somewhat clunky (but for the most part, reliable) WD MyCloud 4100 RAID storage device. It got the job done, albeit much more slowly and noisily.

I feel like the UGREEN NAS has really modernised my storage solution, with everything running faster, smoother and quieter.

The long exports and backups that used to force me out for coffee now finish while I’m still at my desk.

It reminds me of when I replaced my old iMac’s HDD with an SSD – read/write speeds became way quicker.

Sure, the UGREEN NAS is an investment, and you have to buy up to 4 NVMe SSDs to fill it out, but backing up your work and precious memories is a must… and this NAS gives back hours by ditching wait time.