Ugreen DXP480T Plus vs Asustor and Synology NAS — Which One Should You Buy?

Alright, so you’re trying to pick a NAS. Maybe for backups, maybe Plex, maybe just to not lose your photos every time your laptop dies (happens). You’re looking at Ugreen’s DXP480T Plus, and then there’s Synology’s popular models like the DS224+, DS923+, and DS1522+, or maybe you want to look at Asustor, Qnap options?

And now, thanks to SSD prices finally calming down (a bit), SSD-only NAS systems are becoming a thing. So how does the Ugreen stack up against the rest of that flash crowd too? We’ll get into it.

This isn’t gonna be a super techy, corporate-style breakdown. Just the real pros and cons, from someone who’s used this stuff and knows what matters for home users, creators, and even IT folks that want something reliable (or fun to mess with).

If you are a visuals-first person, feel free to check out this video below from Roman Does Consumer Tips:

⚡ Ugreen DXP480T Plus – Fast But Niche

This one’s kinda wild. Ugreen packed a 10-core Intel i5, 4 NVMe SSD slots, 10GbE networking, and even Thunderbolt 4 into a tiny, whisper-quiet box. It’s like a NAS and mini PC in one.

🚀 Pros: Super fast. Like really fast. Runs VMs, Plex (with hardware transcoding), Docker, whatever. Also supports installing your own OS like TrueNAS.

😬 Cons: No hard drive support (SSD-only = $$$), new software still improving, only 1 LAN port, and cost is high – ~$1000 and that’s before storage.

If you’re a creative pro or a tinkerer and you want performance first, this thing’s kinda amazing. But yeah, it’s not for casuals. Just keep in mind, these fly off the shelves real quick.

🆚 How Ugreen Stacks Up to Other SSD-Only NAS Options

Okay, so Ugreen’s not the only one playing the SSD-only game. You’ve got models like:

QNAP TBS-464 – 4x M.2 slots, Intel Celeron, 2.5GbE, HDMI, $599-ish

Asustor Flashstor FS6706T – 6x NVMe, Intel N5105, 2.5GbE, silent, $480-ish

Synology BeeStation / DS620slim – not SSD-only by design, but small form factor with SSD support

🔍 Compared to these…

Ugreen wins in raw power – the Core i5 just smokes Celerons and N5105s. It’s also the only one with 10GbE AND Thunderbolt 4, and up to 64GB RAM. That’s workstation-level power in a NAS shell.

But… it’s also the most expensive, and doesn’t have the software polish of QNAP or Synology just yet.

If you want speed + expandability + VM power, Ugreen’s got it. If you want a quieter, cheaper SSD NAS just for files/media, the Asustor Flashstor is decent (though lacks Docker, VM support, etc.). QNAP has more apps, but kinda clunky UI.

So yeah — Ugreen is best for power users who need the most muscle, not just fast storage.

🧊 Synology DS224+ – Perfect Starter NAS

Classic 2-bay NAS. Intel Celeron chip, 2GB RAM (can upgrade to 6GB), dual Gigabit LAN. Great for backups, personal cloud, and light media streaming.

👍 Pros: Cheap, quiet, reliable, runs Synology DSM which is super easy to use. Can transcode video with QuickSync.

👎 Cons: No expansion. Only 2 drive bays. Slower than the others.

Honestly, if you’re just gettin’ into NAS stuff and want something simple and that “just works”, this is your guy.

🔧 Synology DS923+ – Power & Flexibility

More serious stuff here: 4-bays, upgradeable RAM (up to 32GB), expansion support, optional 10GbE, and even NVMe slots (but kinda locked to Synology’s drives unless used as cache).

💪 Pros: Great for small business, creators, or power home users. Tons of Synology features, solid performance.

🙃 Cons: No GPU, so not great for heavy Plex transcoding. 10GbE upgrade costs extra. NVMe storage only with Synology SSDs.

All-around solid choice if you’re past beginner level and want a box that can scale up.

🏢 Synology DS1522+ – More Bays, More Business

5-bay version of DS923+. Same CPU, but comes with 8GB RAM. Also has 4 LAN ports, supports 2 expansion units (up to 15 drives), and 10GbE upgrade too.

🔥 Pros: Big storage potential, great for teams, studios, or home labs. Can handle lots of users and apps.

💸 Cons: Still no GPU (same Plex issue), 1GbE standard, and costs around $700+ before drives.

This one’s for folks with lots of data or big plans. Not flashy, but rock solid.

🧠 SSD in NAS – Worth it?

SSD Pros: Fast as hell, silent, lower power, great for editing, VMs, and high IOPS stuff.

SSD Cons: Way more expensive per TB, wear out over time, and not really worth it for just movie watching or cold backups.

If you ain’t sure if you need it, you probly don’t.

So, What Should You Pick?

All depends on what you need, see the table below:

Pricing Comparison – How Do They Really Stack?

To give you a clearer picture, here’s how the Ugreen NAS compares with others when it comes to paying if you go full SSD build:

Final Thoughts

The Ugreen is a beast – no doubt. But it’s for folks who know what they’re doing. If you just wanna backup family photos, any NAS will do fine. Just pick the one that fits your size and budget. I tend to say, for a simple backup for a family of 4 you need roughly 8tb of drive space, option to expand it later and current budget should not exceed $500 with drives included. Something like this 8TB Synology BeeStation, press the button to see details and price:

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Thanks for reading. Now go back up your files. For real.