Video summary

I Tested UGREEN’s Newest NAS — Here’s the Truth!

Main summary

Key takeaways

Product Review

Product Reviewed

UGREEN (UG Green) DH4300 Plus — a compact 4-bay NAS positioned as an “entry cost” alternative to higher-end NAS systems (e.g., Synology/QNAP/QNAP-like).

Key Hardware / Spec Highlights

  • Form factor: ~155 × 155 mm, 215.7 mm height (compact “small box” design)
  • SoC: RK3588 (ARM) with 4× Cortex-A76 + 4× Cortex-A55, plus GPU/NPU/media engines
  • RAM: 8 GB LPDDR4X
  • OS storage: soldered 32 GB eMMC 5.1 (3D TLC)
    • includes features like wear leveling, bad block management, ECC
    • estimated >14 years lifespan under heavy-usage assumptions
    • non-upgradeable

Ports / I/O

  • 1× 2.5GbE Ethernet
  • 2× USB-A 3.1 Gen1
  • 1× USB-C 3.2 Gen1
  • HDMI 2.0 output (up to 4K 60) for local media playback

Drive Bays

  • 4× drive bays supporting:
    • 3.5” HDD or 2.5” SSD
    • up to 30 TB per drive → up to ~120 TB raw

Cooling / Acoustics Design

  • 140 mm fan, with airflow routed over the drive bays → SoC heat sink → exhaust

Build

  • Mostly ABS plastic; trays feel lighter/plasticky compared with pricier models

Setup & User Experience (UGOS)

What’s in the Box

  • Basic packaging
  • 72W inline power brick
  • Cat 6 Ethernet
  • Screws, small screwdriver, and guide

Drive Installation

  • Slide in → screw → snap into place (straightforward)

Boot / Initial Setup

  • Plug in → connect Ethernet → press power → system beeps when ready

Configuration Methods

  • Browser setup via detected IP (find.ugreen.com)
  • Mobile setup via NFC tap on the front to pair/install the UG app

UGOS Wizard Tasks

  • Name NAS
  • Create user
  • Bind email
  • Create storage pool + volumes

Storage Approach (as mentioned)

  • RAID 5 recommended/used in testing (capacity/write trade-offs vs redundancy options)
  • Optional disk check for older drives
  • Suggested best practice: at least two volumes (e.g., data vs apps/Docker)
    • but single-volume with quotas is acceptable for beginners
  • Filesystem: Btrfs (preferred over ext4 for snapshots/quotas/better protection)
  • Note: pool/array creation can take several hours with larger drives

File Sharing Experience

  • Enable SMB in UGOS (Windows/macOS)
  • Windows: NAS appears in Network view; login shows shared folders; can map network drives
  • macOS: Finder → Network → connect; drag/drop works like a local folder

Remote Access Options

  • U-Green Link (simple web address)
  • Or DDNS (requires router configuration)

App Ecosystem & Features (Pros / Cons)

UGOS Platform

  • Built on Debian 12 (stability/LTS-style foundation)
  • App Center described as lightweight and minimal vs Synology/QNAP ecosystems
  • Still includes key home features:
    • Cloud backup / CloudSync
      • Google Drive & OneDrive supported
      • iCloud not supported (framed as an Apple-side issue)
    • Sync/backup app for PC (example: one-way sync for uploading new photos while ignoring deletions)
    • Security Center (basic viral scanning/health monitoring + alerts)
    • Snapshot app for file versioning
    • Media / Theater app for Plex/Jellyfin-like browsing
    • Docker support (with limitations due to ARM)

AI / NPU Feature Mentioned

  • Smart photo albums: auto-sort photos by person/pet/location/object
    • framed as a fun/usable bonus (not treated as equal to Google Photos)

Theater App Highlight (Big Differentiator)

  • Similar to a simplified Plex/Jellyfin experience (metadata/library + UI)
  • Major advantage: HDMI 2.0 output lets the NAS function as a local media player
    • controlled via the mobile app
    • reduces reliance on home network bandwidth and avoids complex Jellyfin setup

Stated Cons / Limitations

Compared with Synology/QNAP:

  • Fewer advanced enterprise-style features
  • No ZFS or advanced filesystem features (no self-healing mentioned)
  • No emphasized flexible RAID options beyond typical capabilities
  • No true virtualization platform
  • No domain control integration
  • Less mature productivity/surveillance apps
  • Docker note: not all containers work on ARM, especially x86-based images or heavy services

Performance Testing Results (Numerical)

Network Throughput (2.5GbE)

  • Average read: 243 MB/s
  • Average write: 248 MB/s
  • ~75% of theoretical max for 2.5GbE (312.5 MB/s)
  • Bottlenecks attributed to:
    • protocol overhead
    • SMB/NFS overhead
    • latency
    • RAID5 math, etc.

Media Playback & Transcoding

  • Native codec playback: smooth, minimal overhead including 4K HDR
  • Transcoding load (single stream): CPU ~30–40%
  • Stress test: 4K transcode + large upload across all four drives
    • CPU reached about ~70%

Thermals

  • Temps stayed stable; never above ~40°C in a 22°C studio
  • Under hours of load, drive temps stayed mid-to-upper 30s

Power Draw / Efficiency

  • Wall power under heavy load: ~30 W
  • Idle: ~20 W (mostly standby for drives)
  • With drives disconnected: 3–4 W
  • Estimated yearly electricity cost:
    • average ~21 W (assumes 75% idle / 25% active)
    • US rate $0.16/kWh
    • ≈ just under $30/year

Noise

  • Ambient studio: ~42 dBA
  • Idle fan noise: ~32.9 dBA
  • During drive access: ~42–43 dBA
  • Fan max (all drives spinning): ~52.2 dBA (noticeable, but still reasonable)
  • Fan is typically not loud unless forced/max or in a hot environment

Comparisons (Price / Features Positioning)

Entry Pricing Context

  • Listed price at time of filming (disc model): ~$386

Compared With

  • TerraMaster F4423 enclosure: ~$460–$480
  • Many QNAP/Qorqu/Q? “Acur” 4-bay models with more ports/expansion: ~$550–$600
  • Synology DS423 Plus: ~$520
    • plus note: smaller selection of compatible drives and often higher drive costs

Reviewer Framing of the Trade-off

UGREEN’s value comes from:

  • savings upfront and efficient hardware
  • in exchange for reduced software depth, a younger ecosystem, and less enterprise/virtualization capability

Pros (Unique Points)

  • Strong real-world 2.5GbE performance (read/write ~243/248 MB/s)
  • Cool operation and efficient power usage (≈30W load, ≈20W idle)
  • Very quiet in typical use; idle nearly inaudible
  • Debian 12-based UGOS for stability/LTS-style foundation
  • Good home-friendly feature set: RAID management, SMB sharing, snapshots, security basics, backup/sync, Docker
  • Theater + HDMI 2.0 enables plug-in-to-TV local media playback without relying on network streaming
  • Smart photo albums via NPU (fun, usable extra)
  • Pricing undercuts many rivals

Cons (Unique Points)

  • App center/software ecosystem feels less mature than Synology/QNAP
  • No ZFS/self-healing mentioned; fewer advanced filesystem/RAID options
  • Limited enterprise-style capabilities:
    • no true virtualization
    • no domain control integration
    • less granular enterprise backup tools
  • Docker is ARM-limited (x86 containers may not work)
  • Array/volume creation can take hours
  • Physical feel: trays light plastic vs premium models

Overall Verdict / Recommendation

Recommended for:

  • home users, small offices, modest home labs
  • want fast 2.5GbE NAS storage
  • want media streaming/local playback
  • want snapshots/backups and Docker support
  • prefer paying less than Synology/QNAP

Not ideal for:

  • users who need enterprise-grade software depth
  • advanced features like ZFS/self-healing
  • robust virtualization
  • a highly mature app ecosystem
  • users relying on x86 Docker workloads

Bottom line: At about $386, the DH4300 Plus is positioned as a credible value entry-level 4-bay NAS that delivers on essentials, with meaningful software trade-offs accepted for the upfront savings.

Speakers / Perspectives

  • CJ (single main speaker): hardware walkthrough, UGOS/software explanation, benchmarks (speeds, temps, power, noise), comparisons, and overall recommendation.

Original video