UGREEN DXP6800 Pro NAS Review

The UGREEN DXP6800 Pro is an exciting addition to the prebuilt NAS segment and stands out as a sophisticated solution with powerful hardware.

In a sector that has experienced only modest advancements in recent times, the UGREEN DXP6800 Pro NAS presents an intriguing proposition. Known for its well-designed, high-performance power systems, UGREEN has generated considerable buzz with its venture into the NAS domain. In this review, we will take an in-depth look at the DXP6800 Pro to uncover the reasons behind this excitement and to evaluate whether it introduces genuine innovation to a market in dire need of fresh ideas.

The main draw surrounding the UGREEN 6800 Pro NAS stems from its robust power and system configuration, particularly given its price point of approximately $1,000. While not inexpensive, it stands out in a market where other well-known NAS brands offer significantly less powerful hardware for a similar cost. A prime example is the inclusion of a more recent and powerful Intel i5 CPU within the UGREEN DXP6800 Pro. This aspect makes the product compelling from the outset, even before conducting any hands-on testing or evaluation.

The CPU is a 12th-generation Intel Core, veering away from the lackluster processing power often plaguing the NAS space. The i5 1235U chip features ten cores and 12 threads and is more akin to what one would find in a high-end workstation rather than a traditional NAS. This suggests that UGREEN is targeting not just storage-centric workloads but compute-intensive applications.

The standard build includes 8GB of DDR5 RAM. Users with demanding applications can expand to a generous 64GB, which allows for some future-proofing when software requirements and workloads change over time. The UGREEN DXP6800 Pro also supports various RAID configurations, from the simple JBOD to the more standard RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, and 10 setups. This flexibility allows users to choose the optimal balance between performance, capacity, and redundancy for their specific needs.

Regarding connectivity, the UGREEN DXP6800 Pro features dual Thunderbolt 4 ports that offer rapid data transfer speeds, supporting daisy-chaining of multiple devices and even providing enough throughput for external graphics cards. The two 10GbE LAN ports are equally impressive, doubling the standard network capacity you’d find on most NAS units and allowing for faster data transfer rates over the network – a critical feature for businesses that require rapid access to large data sets.

Most importantly, data security is a massive focus for UGREEN, rivaling traditional cloud storage options. Their NASync technology allows users to store substantial amounts of personal data on local devices, significantly minimizing the risk of data leakage and unauthorized surveillance. Adding a built-in Security Manager within UGOS offers real-time data protection and scheduled scans, safeguarding against virus intrusions. This comprehensive approach to data security certainly demonstrates that UGREEN prioritizes privacy and control for its users.

UGREEN DXP6800 Pro Specifications

UGREEN DXP6800 Pro Design and build

Right off the bat, we should mention that the box design is quite appealing. While it might seem trivial to count this as a positive, experience has shown us that when companies invest effort into their product packaging (including the shipping box), it often reflects a similar dedication to the quality of the hardware itself. And as you will see, this certainly rings true with the UGREEN DXP6800 Pro. The NAS sports a clean, sleek, professional, all-black aesthetic for a solid build quality.

We immediately noticed that each drive bay is labeled with a big number on the front panel, something we rarely see on a NAS system. This can be very useful when the GUI calls out a specific drive that needs service. Nonetheless, the trays easily pop out with a light push at the bottom of the tray. The trays incorporate an intuitive sliding mechanism that slightly increases its size when pulled, facilitating the installation of drives without the need for tools. It’s important to note this tool-less feature applies exclusively to 3.5-inch drives; installation of 2.5-inch drives requires screws for secure mounting. Overall, this represents a pretty good design for installing and removing drives.

The front panel also features an SD card slot, a USB 3.2 port (USB 3.2 Gen2 ports capable of 10Gbps transfer rates), and two Thunderbolt ports.

On the back panel, we immediately noticed a magnetic, removable filter for the fan intake—a detail that many manufacturers overlook. Dust accumulation can significantly impact long-term performance and maintenance requirements.

Including an HDMI 8K output ensures the NAS can directly connect to high-resolution displays for media playback or management. Also at the rear are the PCIe slot opening, two USB ports, and the dual 10Gbe network and power ports.

One of the more unique design features is located underneath the NAS, which has a spring-assisted cover that provides easy access to the two M.2 drives and the user-serviceable DRAM slots on the branded PCB. Again, while it might seem small, this is a very nice design element, as we don’t have to claw the panel open with our fingernails. The spring opens it up slightly for us once we remove the screw.

We also noticed a 128GB OS SSD nestled discreetly within the PCB. Having a dedicated SSD for the OS can enhance OS boot times, depending on whether you’re loading from a flash drive or a hard disk, and allow you to deploy the NAS effectively, even without internet access.

UGREEN DXP6800 Pro Management OS

Setting up the UGREEN 6800 Pro NAS is an intuitive experience, with the UGREEN finder tool streamlining the connecting and initializing process. The interface offers a modern and sleek look and feel, coupled with a functional layout that allows users to navigate and manage their NAS easily.

During the initial setup process, we had the option to select from three system update settings: to receive only crucial updates for UGOS, to automatically install ALL updates for UGOS and applications, or to be notified when updates are available (meaning we would have to update manually). This choice is important for users, as many servers operate continuously, and it’s easy for users to overlook necessary updates, potentially leading to security vulnerabilities. Although we typically opt for automatic updates, we selected the notification option for this review to avoid interruptions.

Once the DXP6800 Pro NAS was set up and ready to go, we went right to the App Center area. This consolidated ecosystem shows users which apps are available to load onto the NAS. With everything centralized in one area, it makes it much easier to find applications–particularly for those less tech-savvy and professionals seeking streamlined operations.

UGREEN has also incorporated AI technology with its Integrated AI Smart Assistant. This feature provides users with powerful photo management tools and search capabilities that do not require an internet connection. Users can easily search and organize photos with text queries for things like pets, vehicles, and more. This smart recognition and classification function automates the creation of themed photo albums by identifying and grouping content in categories like faces, places, and animals.

Let’s also take a look at some of the storage management features UGOS has to offer.

We liked the NAS visualization in the Storage Manager’s Overview section, especially regarding the drives. Selecting a bay in the NAS diagram directs you to the corresponding drive within the Hard Disk Management section.

The Hard Disk Management section lists all the populated drives in the UGREEN NAS, with some basic at-a-glance information. This includes the drive type, size, health, temperature, and storage pool number.

In this section, once you click on a drive, you get the usual information about it, including SMART information and advanced parameters. You can also start some read/write tests and see the results from previous health tests.

In the Storage Pool & Volume section, you can easily create and manage your storage configuration. Overall, this is a pretty intuitive system to play around with.

In the Hardware & Power section of the control panel, you can configure the buzzer settings with at-a-glance information that includes an explanation for any recent beep. Additionally, you can adjust the fan settings (the current speed is displayed underneath) and the LED indicator settings, which show the current brightness level.

The File Manager features a straightforward layout, with “Shared” and “User Folders” on the sidebar for swift file access. Details such as file size, type, modification, and creation dates are neatly tabulated. Users can utilize the toolbar for searching and modifying views, while a file count at the bottom keeps track of total and selected files, streamlining file administration.

The System Update section lets you know if a new version is available for download and conveniently shows the latest features and improvements introduced in the new version. If preferred, you can manually initiate an update.

The Docker > Overview section is a streamlined interface for managing Docker containers, images, and associated data. It presents valuable information, including CPU usage and memory capacity, allowing for efficient resource monitoring and optimization. The section also displays “Resource occupancy” and “Running” areas, highlighting active resource consumers and current operational containers.

The Docker “Image Database” section is a streamlined environment for managing Docker images. It features a search bar for quick image retrieval and displays images with descriptions, repository tags, and pull counts. The user-friendly interface promotes easy navigation and efficient management of image libraries, with a total image count for inventory oversight.

Like all NAS solutions, the App Center aims to improve user experience with a suite of applications for diverse needs. The inventory of available apps is a bit sparse at the moment (Video Center, Virtual Machines, and Music apps are said to be “coming soon”). UGREEN will need to quickly get these core functions released and will need to partner with other application providers to get their systems competitive with other NAS vendors who have been in the market much longer. To be fair, Docker started as a coming soon item at the beginning of our review and was released during the review process, so we are seeing movement when it comes to app support.

UGREEN DXP6800 Pro Performance

Review Configuration

For our testing, we configured the UGREEN DXP6800 Pro with six 4TB WD Red Plus HDDs that came with the unit, configured in RAID6. As iSCSI support is unavailable, we will exclusively conduct our testing through CIFS connectivity. For this review we did not use the two SSD bays in the system, we intend to look more deeply into flash support in this system in future content and via a review of the all-flash DXP480T Plus coming soon, which shares much of the same hardware.

Enterprise Synthetic Workload Analysis

Our enterprise shared storage and hard drive benchmark process preconditions each drive into steady-state with the same workload the device will be tested with under a heavy load of 16 threads with an outstanding queue of 16 per thread and then tested in set intervals in multiple thread/queue depth profiles to show performance under light and heavy usage. Since NAS solutions reach their rated performance level very quickly, we only graph out the main sections of each test.

Preconditioning and Primary Steady-State Tests:

• Throughput (Read+Write IOPS Aggregate)
• Average Latency (Read+Write Latency Averaged Together)
• Max Latency (Peak Read or Write Latency)
• Latency Standard Deviation (Read+Write Standard Deviation Averaged Together)

Our Enterprise Synthetic Workload Analysis includes four profiles based on real-world tasks. These profiles have been developed to make it easier to compare to our past benchmarks and widely published values, such as max 4k read and write speed and 8k 70/30, which is commonly used for enterprise drives.

• 4K
  • 100% Read, or 100% Write
  • 100% 4K

• 8K 70/30
  • 70% Read, 30% Write
  • 100% 8K

• 8K (Sequential)
  • 100% Read, or 100% Write
  • 100% 8K

• 128K (Sequential)
  • 100% Read, or 100% Write
  • 100% 128K

First up is 4K throughput, where the UGREEN DXP6800 Pro hit 190 IOPS read and 316 IOPS write in RAID6 CIFS.

Looking at average latency indicated 1,342.8ms read and 809ms write.

Next up in the 4K bench is max latency. Here, the DXP6800 Pro reached 4,137.8ms read, and 9,235,8ms write when configured in RAID6 under CIFS.

Our last test in the 4K bench was standard deviation, which showed 933.6ms read and 1,042.3ms write.

Our next benchmark measures 100% 8K sequential throughput with a 16T16Q load in 100% read and 100% write operations. Here, the UGREEN NAS hit 126,264 IOPS read and 54,183 IOPS write.

Compared to the fixed 16 thread, 16 queue max workload we performed in the 100% 4K write test, our mixed workload profiles scale performance across a wide range of thread/queue combinations. First is throughput, which ranged from 234 IOPS (2 Threads 2 Queue) to 284 IOPS (16 Threads 8 Queue), ending the test at 280 IOPS.

Next, we looked at average latency, which showed a range of 17.03ms (2 Threads 2 Queue) up to 923.12ms (16 Threads 16 Queue)

In maximum latency, the DXP6800 Pro ranged from 480.2ms to 4243.09ms in the terminal queue depths.

For standard deviation, it posted a range of 15.04ms (2 Threads 2 Queue) to 535.23ms (16 Threads 16 Queue).

The last synthetic benchmark is our 128K test, a large-block sequential test that shows a device’s highest sequential transfer speed. Here, it reached 2.26GB/s read and 1.4GB/s write.

Conclusion

The UGREEN DXP6800 Pro NAS has proven to be a highly promising NAS, redefining expectations with its fantastic hardware design and components. Its hefty (for a NAS) Intel i5 CPU and expandable DDR5 RAM offer advanced processing and multitasking capabilities, making it a cut above many competitors (like Synology and QNAP) in the same price bracket. Further, Thunderbolt 4 and on-board 10GbE LAN ports add to its impressive profile and demonstrate UGREEN’s commitment to high performance and versatility.

In terms of performance, the UGREEN DXP6800 Pro delivered impressive results, handling throughput, latency, and sequential transfer with remarkable efficiency. This level of performance is essential for businesses and power users who require reliable and rapid access to large volumes of data. At the time of this review, UGREEN offered file-share access, but not block-storage, so we didn’t test iSCSI at this time.

While the app ecosystem for the UGREEN DXP6800 Pro NAS is still growing, it already shows strong promise with user-centric enhancements. The recent addition of Docker support, which was added while we were developing our review, shows that it is focused on the App Center’s ongoing development. And although it currently lacks iSCSI connectivity, UGREEN’s trajectory seems promising.

With its compelling combination of powerful hardware, speedy networking, and a growing software suite, the UGREEN DXP6800 Pro is an exciting addition to the prebuilt NAS segment and stands out as a sophisticated solution that’s hard to overlook for anyone in the market for a top-tier NAS.

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