Choosing between the Synology DiskStation DS225+ 2-Bay NAS (Diskless) and the UGREEN NASync DXP4800 Plus 4-Bay NAS (Diskless) is a home NAS fork, not a vague "best NAS" roundup. One side is a compact 2-bay DiskStation built around Synology DSM, quieter running, and a modest Celeron with 2.5GbE. The other is a 4-bay NASync with a much stronger CPU and RAM pool, built-in 10GbE, and younger UGOS Pro. Specs and street prices below come from manufacturer sheets and current Amazon listings, not a lab shootout.
This head-to-head sits beside What Is a NAS, RAID Levels Explained, and the 3-2-1 Backup Strategy. The question here is narrower: polished 2-bay DSM appliance for everyday home backup and media, or 4-bay hardware-heavy box when bay count, 10GbE, and headroom matter more.
| Attribute | Synology DiskStation DS225+ 2-Bay NAS (Diskless) | UGREEN NASync DXP4800 Plus 4-Bay NAS (Diskless) |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.6 | 4.5 |
| Price | $339.99 | $656.99 |
| CPU | Intel Celeron J4125, 4 cores, 2.0 GHz (2.7 GHz burst) | Intel Pentium Gold 8505, 5 cores (1P+4E), up to 4.4 GHz |
| RAM | 2 GB DDR4, expandable to 6 GB | 8 GB DDR5, expandable to 64 GB |
| Network | 1x 2.5GbE + 1x 1GbE RJ-45 | 1x 10GbE + 1x 2.5GbE, up to 1,250 MB/s |
| Drive bays | 2x 3.5"/2.5" SATA (diskless, drives sold separately) | 4x SATA (3.5"/2.5") + 2x M.2 NVMe, up to 144 TB total (diskless) |
| USB | 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1 | — |
| Rated transfer speed | 282 MB/s sequential read | — |
| Noise | 19.6 dB(A) | 29-34 dB quiet mode (140 mm fan) |
| Power draw | 16.98 W access / 6.08 W HDD hibernation | — |
| Dimensions | 165 x 108 x 232.2 mm | — |
| Weight | 1.3 kg (diskless) | 3.79 kg (diskless) |
| Warranty | 3 years | 2 years |
| System SSD | — | Built-in 128 GB SSD for UGOS Pro |
| Ports | — | USB-C 10 Gbps, USB-A, SD card slot, 4K 60Hz HDMI |
| Buy | View on Amazon | View on Amazon |
Quick verdict
Most people should buy the Synology DS225+. It covers the classic home NAS jobs (Time Machine and Windows backups, photo sync, a quiet Plex target) with the software buyers keep praising, at roughly $340 diskless. The UGREEN NASync DXP4800 Plus wins when four bays, 10GbE throughput, and a serious CPU/RAM pool are the real requirements, and you accept a younger OS plus a street price near $657 before drives.
Price and value
Winner: Synology DS225+. Recent catalog anchors put the DS225+ near $339.99 and the DXP4800 Plus near $656.99, both diskless. For a first home NAS that mainly backs up a few Macs or PCs and serves media on a gigabit or 2.5GbE LAN, the Synology is the clearer dollars story. Pay the UGREEN premium when you will actually fill four trays, hang a 10GbE client, or want 8GB DDR5 (to 64GB) without waiting for an upgrade path.
Bays and expandability
Winner: UGREEN DXP4800 Plus. Four 3.5/2.5-inch SATA bays plus two M.2 NVMe slots (maker claims up to about 144TB total across six drives) beat the Synology's two SATA bays for raw growth. Synology stays a 2-bay chassis; growth means a second unit, USB expansion habits, or replacing the box. If you already know you want RAID5/6 capacity with room for a spare drive online, start with four bays. For tray language in general, see Hot-swap. For multi-disk pools without a fancy appliance story, see JBOD.
CPU, RAM, and network throughput
Winner: UGREEN DXP4800 Plus on hardware paper. Maker sheets list an Intel Pentium Gold 8505 (5 cores, up to 4.4 GHz), 8GB DDR5 expandable to 64GB, a built-in 128GB system SSD, and 1x10GbE + 1x2.5GbE with rated peaks near 1,250 MB/s. The DS225+ uses an Intel Celeron J4125 (4 cores), 2GB DDR4 (to 6GB), and 1x2.5GbE + 1x1GbE with rated sequential reads near 282 MB/s. For large library copies over a real 10GbE switch, UGREEN is the throughput pick. For typical home backup on 1GbE or 2.5GbE, both are enough on paper. Synology's Celeron here also lacks Quick Sync hardware transcode, so heavy Plex transcodes stay on CPU.
| Axis | Synology DS225+ | UGREEN DXP4800 Plus |
|---|---|---|
| Bays | 2x SATA (diskless) | 4x SATA + 2x M.2 NVMe (diskless) |
| CPU | Intel Celeron J4125, 4c | Intel Pentium Gold 8505, 5c up to 4.4 GHz |
| RAM | 2GB DDR4 (to 6GB) | 8GB DDR5 (to 64GB) + 128GB system SSD |
| Network | 1x2.5GbE + 1x1GbE (~282 MB/s rated) | 1x10GbE + 1x2.5GbE (up to ~1,250 MB/s rated) |
| Extra I/O | 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1 | USB-C 10Gbps, USB-A, SD, HDMI 4K60 |
| Noise (maker) | ~19.6 dB(A) | ~29-34 dB quiet mode |
| Warranty | 3 years | 2 years |
| Typical street price | ~$340 | ~$657 |
| Best fit | Quiet 2-bay DSM appliance | 4-bay / 10GbE hardware headroom |
Software ecosystem: DSM vs UGOS Pro
Winner: Synology DS225+ for most non-tinkerers. DSM remains the polished package catalog for Hyper Backup, Moments/Photos-class libraries, Surveillance Station habits, and a huge how-to corpus. UGOS Pro gets frequent praise for a fast first setup (many buyers report being online in about half an hour), but owner reports still call out a younger app set, more Docker or TrueNAS detours for power users, and occasional cloud/remote reliability complaints. If you want appliance software that feels finished on day one, Synology wins. If you are comfortable with containers and will mainly use SMB shares plus a media stack, UGREEN's hardware can carry more of the load. For share protocol basics, see SMB. For remote access without opening random ports, see Set Up Tailscale on a NAS.
Apps, backup, and Plex
Winner: Synology for backup apps and Mac habits; UGREEN for raw transcode and scan horsepower. Synology buyers repeatedly call out easy backups, Plex as a reliable target, and Mac Time Machine to Synology workflows. UGREEN buyers praise snappy library scans and transcoding on the stronger CPU/RAM pool, plus the 10GbE pipe when the client can use it. Neither box ships with drives; budget NAS HDDs separately (see WD Red Plus vs Seagate IronWolf 4TB). For array rebuild vocabulary when a disk fails later, see Replace a Failed RAID Drive.
Noise, power, and size
Winner: Synology DS225+. Maker noise is listed near 19.6 dB(A) with a compact 165 x 108 x 232.2 mm chassis at about 1.3 kg diskless, and access power near 17 W. UGREEN lists quiet-mode noise around 29-34 dB, weighs about 3.79 kg diskless, and is the larger desk or shelf citizen. If the NAS lives in a living room or bedroom, Synology is the easier roommate. If it lives in a closet next to a switch, UGREEN's fan and mass matter less.
Who should buy which
Buy the Synology DS225+ if you want a quiet 2-bay DSM appliance for home backup and media, prefer mature packages over max bays, and want the lower diskless street price plus a 3-year warranty.
Buy the UGREEN NASync DXP4800 Plus if you need four SATA bays (plus NVMe), 10GbE, expandable DDR5, and stronger CPU headroom, and you accept UGOS Pro's younger ecosystem at roughly double the chassis price.
Skip both if you only need USB-attached expansion without network shares (a DAS or dock is simpler), or you want a tiny always-on box that is not a multi-bay NAS at all (see Best Mini PCs for a Home Server).
Bottom line
Synology DS225+ and UGREEN NASync DXP4800 Plus solve adjacent home storage problems. The DS225+ is the overall pick for most buyers: quieter, smaller, cheaper diskless, and backed by DSM habits that make backups and media less fussy. The DXP4800 Plus is the pick when four bays, 10GbE, and serious CPU/RAM are the real requirements. Specs here are from maker sheets and Amazon listings, not a lab shootout. Confirm current street pricing, then View on Amazon for the DS225+ or the DXP4800 Plus before you order.
For backup posture once the data matters, see The 3-2-1 Backup Strategy. For RAID vocabulary when you build the pool, see RAID Levels Explained.
