Ugreen's Ultra NAS Doubles Down on Headroom

Ugreen's NASync DXP8800 Ultra looks, from the outside, exactly like the NAS that preceded it. The chassis is the same. The bays are the same. The ports sit where they always sat. What changed is under the lid — and whether that change justifies the asking price is the only question that matters.

This is not a redesign. It is a re-engineered version of a platform that was already well-regarded, and the delta between the two models is smaller than the price gap suggests. For buyers weighing the Ultra against the Plus, the decision comes down to workloads, not aesthetics.

A newer chip, same core count

The Plus model ran on a Core i5 1235U. The Ultra shifts to the Core 7 150U. Both are ten-core, twelve-thread mobile processors with two performance cores and eight efficient ones. Core counts have not changed, so the raw muscle is not dramatically different.

What does change is the generation and the clock speed. The 150U is a 13th generation Raptor Lake part with a maximum turbo of 5.4GHz and a base frequency of 1.8GHz. The 1235U tops out at 4.4GHz and normally runs at only 1.3 GHz. The integrated graphics also grow, from 80 to 96 execution units, which should help with Quick Sync transcoding for Plex and Jellyfin.

How much quicker is it? That depends entirely on the workload, since processing power doesn't make SATA or the 10GbE LAN ports run any faster. As a computing platform, it's probably 20% better overall, which might help virtualisation and AI tasks, but the two chips are close cousins.

The memory ceiling nobody will reach

The Ultra ships with 8GB of DDR5 and supports up to 96GB, compared with a maximum of 64GB for the Plus. The RAM supplied in the test unit was Samsung-branded 5600MHz, whereas the Plus model previously used 4800MHz RAM.

That memory ceiling needs a reality check. When the Plus was reviewed, a 32GB module cost about $90. In 2026, DDR5 is far more expensive, and a 32GB kit of two 16GB modules is at least $320 even from a lesser-known brand. Filling the Ultra to its limit would cost almost as much as the NAS itself. Therefore, the 96GB ceiling is a promise few owners will rush to experience.

• Memory ceiling: 96GB DDR5 (up from 64GB on the Plus)
• Shipped RAM: 8GB Samsung 5600MHz
• 32GB DDR5 kit cost in 2026: at least $320
• Power draw: 70.39W with drives active, 28.99W in hibernation

Ugreen lists 96GB as the maximum, which suggests a pair of 48GB modules. For reference, an unbranded 96GB kit (2x48GB modules) is about $1400 on Amazon. At that price, most buyers will stop well short of the ceiling.

No ECC, and that matters to some

An annoyance for those who swear by ECC memory is that neither processor supports it. For a NAS aimed at teams and small businesses, that is a shame, and some buyers will not forgive it. The specifications suggest that ODECC (On-Die Error-Correcting Code) is supported, a built-in feature of DDR5 and LPDDR5 memory chips that automatically detects and corrects single-bit errors directly inside the individual RAM ICs. But this won't be enough for those who like the extra check bits to stored data chunks on ECC RAM.

Today, non-ECC memory is expensive enough, and ECC RAM is even more expensive, so even if Ugreen had used a platform that supported ECC, many customers might have avoided it because of the high cost.

Ports and storage, unchanged

The Ultra carries over the same eight SATA bays and two M.2 slots. Filled with 32TB hard drives and 8TB SSDs, it offers up to 272TB in a single box. Dual 10GbE, two Thunderbolt 4 ports, an 8K-capable HDMI output, and a PCIe slot remain unchanged. The card reader is now listed as SD 4.0.

Ugreen is more forthcoming about the PCIe slot this time. It lists it as Gen 4 x4, which matches what was always suspected on the Plus. That is plenty for a faster network card or a storage adapter. Fitting one still means removing the case feet and rear panel, so do it before filling the bays with drives.

Underneath, the small service panel hides two M.2 slots and two DDR5 SODIMM sockets. The Ultra ships with a single 8GB module, so one socket is free. A separate 128GB SSD holds the operating system, which isn't accessible without more disassembly.

Price and availability

The asking price for the Ultra is $1,779.99, making it the most expensive model in its DXP range, though less than the iDX series. Ugreen sells the Ultra directly and through Amazon, with no crowdfunding this time. Unlike the Plus at launch, the Ultra needs no Kickstarter campaign. It has been on sale since September 2026.

The Plus model launched at an MSRP of $1,499.99, and Kickstarter backers paid as little as $974. It currently sells for $1,207.99, compared to the $1,779.99 Ultra direct from Ugreen. From the Ugreen site for EU customers, the Ultra is €1.779,99. At the time of writing, it isn't stocked in the UK, but that could change soon.

So what does the extra money get you? A newer processor with a higher clock speed, slightly stronger integrated graphics and room for 96GB of memory instead of 64GB. Almost everything else is shared. That includes the power figures, which Ugreen quotes as 70.39W with the drives active and 28.99W in hibernation for both models.

Competition in a thin field

Competition from the usual suspects is weak in this slice of the NAS market. When the Plus was reviewed, the Synology DS1823xs+ cost $1,800 for much less processing power and no Thunderbolt. The Ultra costs about the same today, has Thunderbolt 4 and a newer processor, and offers the potential for triple the memory. Synology has largely abandoned the prosumer and small-business sectors, so don't expect a revised design anytime soon.

Against rivals, the Ultra is still strong value. Against its own siblings, it is much harder to justify. That is the central tension of this product: it is a better machine in a market where better is not strictly necessary.

Design that carries over

The Ultra is built on the same thick aluminium chassis as the Plus, and it measures exactly the same dimensionally at 365 x 258 x 189mm. The drive trays, rear dust filter, and dual 120mm fans all appear to carry over. The numbered, lockable drive trays and the magnetic fan filter remain welcome touches from the Plus.

The trays are plastic, and 2.5-inch drives need screws. But in reality, most people won't be installing drives every day or using 2.5-inch media. Most will use 3.5-inch HDDs, and for them the tool-less trays work perfectly well.

The ports also sit where they did before. The front panel carries the power button, drive activity lights, an SD card reader, two Thunderbolt 4 ports and a USB 3.2 Gen 2 port. Around the back are the PCIe slot, HDMI, a second USB 3.2 Gen 2 port, two USB 2.0 ports and the pair of 10GbE sockets.

There is still no laptop-style power brick, with the power supply mounted internally. While this is preferable, because the PSU gets cooled inside the case, it does make a fully populated Ultra a heavy thing that you probably don't want to move on your own.

Software still catching up

The operating system is the same UGOS Pro that runs the rest of the range. It has grown since the Plus arrived, though it remains a work in progress. The Ultra still lacks Hybrid RAID technology, a gap that may matter to buyers accustomed to more mature NAS platforms.

That software ceiling is worth weighing carefully. The hardware here is capable, but the ecosystem around it determines how much of that capability an owner can actually use. Internal file systems supported are BTRFS and EXT4; external file systems include EXT4, NTFS, FAT32, HFS+ and ExFAT.

Should you buy it?

Hardcore NAS users will want to know one thing: is the outlay worth the extra over the Plus? That entirely depends on how you intend to use this NAS. For those who just want file serving, it's probably not worth it. But for someone using virtualisation and hosting AI, it might be an improvement they'll pay for.

The Ultra needs buyers who will actually use the extra headroom. If your workload is light, the Plus does almost everything the Ultra does for far less money. The Ultra's case rests on workloads that can absorb a faster processor and more memory — and on DDR5 prices eventually coming down.

Why this matters for buyers

For anyone shopping for a serious NAS, the Ultra is a useful benchmark of where the prosumer market sits: capable hardware, thin software, and steep memory costs. The practical takeaway is to buy on workload, not on ceiling. A 96GB maximum means little if the RAM to reach it costs as much as the box itself.

For small businesses and teams, the absence of ECC support could be a deciding factor, even if the price of ECC memory would have pushed many away anyway. For everyone else, the Ultra is a fast, well-built machine whose value depends entirely on whether you will use the extra processor headroom and memory. If you will, it earns its place. If you won't, the Plus remains the smarter purchase.