UGREEN DXP2800 vs Synology DS225+: best 2-bay NAS for Plex, Jellyfin and backups

Still deciding whether two bays are enough? Our best NAS for a homelab guide adds four-bay media and DSM picks, with capacity examples to choose the right size.

A NAS can be your movie shelf, your backup destination or the box that quietly grows into a small server. Buy the UGREEN DXP2800 for a two-bay Plex or Jellyfin project. Buy the Synology DS225+ when DSM’s backup tools are the main attraction. Step up to the UGREEN DXP4800 Plus when you already want four drive bays, more memory and 10GbE.

The important twist is the Synology’s media support. Its Intel J4125 CPU does not make it the automatic Plex winner: Plex’s own compatibility list currently marks DS225+ hardware transcoding No. That makes the DXP2800 the clearer media-server choice here.

Specifications and compatibility come from the makers, Plex and Jellyfin; storage examples are calculated.

The short list: choose the job first

What you want to build	Pick	Why
Best two-bay NAS for Plex/Jellyfin	UGREEN DXP2800	Intel N100, 8 GB RAM, Docker support and two NVMe slots
Best backup-focused workflow	Synology DS225+	DSM, Hyper Backup and Snapshot Replication in a compact two-bay box
Best room to grow	UGREEN DXP4800 Plus	Four SATA bays, a 64 GB memory ceiling, 10GbE and 2.5GbE
A CMR drive option	WD Red Plus 8 TB, WD80EFPX	A named NAS drive for a matched pair or larger array, subject to exact enclosure compatibility

The three selected NAS listings are diskless enclosures. Pick one enclosure, then choose the number of drives for your layout. The WD listing is a single drive, not a pair. The DXP4800 Plus is a four-bay alternative, not another two-bay model.

The hardware that changes the decision

Maker specification	UGREEN DXP2800	Synology DS225+	UGREEN DXP4800 Plus
CPU	Intel N100, four cores / four threads	Intel Celeron J4125, four cores	Intel Pentium Gold 8505, five cores / six threads
Factory RAM	8 GB DDR5	2 GB DDR4 non-ECC	8 GB DDR5
Official maximum RAM	16 GB	6 GB, as 2 GB + 4 GB	64 GB
SATA drive bays	Two	Two	Four
M.2 NVMe slots	Two	None	Two
Network ports	One 2.5GbE	One 2.5GbE + one 1GbE	One 10GbE + one 2.5GbE
Container platform	UGOS Pro Docker	DSM Container Manager	UGOS Pro Docker
Virtual machines	UGOS Pro Virtual Machine app	Synology Virtual Machine Manager	UGOS Pro Virtual Machine app

These are the official limits, not enthusiast memory upgrades. The sources are UGREEN’s DXP2800 page, DXP4800 Plus page and Synology’s DS225+ specification sheet.

DXP2800: the media-and-containers pick

The DXP2800 gives you room for a mirrored HDD pair and a separate SSD project without moving to four SATA bays. UGREEN documents its two NVMe slots for cache or a separate SSD storage pool. That is useful when you want your media library on HDDs and your container data on SSDs.

Its 8 GB starting memory and 16 GB ceiling suit a focused NAS project: files, media and selected containers. If your plan already contains a growing VM collection, skip ahead to the four-bay step-up instead of treating the N100 box as an unlimited virtualization host.

DS225+: the backup-workflow pick

The reason to choose DS225+ is DSM’s storage and backup software. Hyper Backup supports versioned backups to destinations including local storage, another server and supported cloud services; Snapshot Replication supplies a separate layer of versioned protection for supported storage. Start with the DS225+ product overview and Hyper Backup.

Synology lists DS225+ for both Container Manager and Virtual Machine Manager. It can do more than file sharing. But a 2 GB factory configuration and 6 GB official ceiling are important planning limits when DSM, applications and a guest OS need memory at the same time. Choose it for the backup workflow first; choose the larger UGREEN when memory expansion is a central requirement.

DXP4800 Plus: buy the extra bays before you need them

Four SATA bays change the storage plan more than a faster-looking processor name does. You can build a larger parity array, keep more drives in the same enclosure and add NVMe storage without consuming those HDD bays. The 64 GB RAM ceiling and 10GbE port also give you a different expansion path from either two-bay box.

Choose the Plus model specifically. DXP4800, DXP4800 Plus and DXP4800 GT are different products. This comparison is about the Pentium Gold 8505 version with one 10GbE and one 2.5GbE port.

Plex and Jellyfin: Direct Play first, hardware transcode when needed

Direct Play sends a compatible original file to the client. Transcoding converts a stream when the client, bandwidth or playback choices require it. Plex’s Direct Play and Direct Stream guide explains the distinction. A NAS serving a compatible file is doing a different job from one converting a difficult video while you watch.

Choose the DXP2800 when that second job is part of the plan. UGREEN’s Plex setup guide covers Docker installation and graphics access, and its hardware guide identifies DXP2800 and DXP4800 Plus as Intel Quick Sync options.

For Plex hardware-accelerated streaming, you need an active Plex Pass, a supported graphics path and the correct container configuration. Enable Use hardware acceleration when available, play a file that actually transcodes, and inspect the expanded playback information for (hw). Plex documents both the requirements and that verification in Using Hardware-Accelerated Streaming.

For Jellyfin, follow its Intel acceleration guide and container instructions. The host needs a working graphics driver, and the container needs access to the render device with the right permissions. Jellyfin’s hardware-selection guide includes Intel N100 among its recommended starting points.

Test the files you expect to play: the video codec, audio, HDR handling and subtitles can change the work the server must do. Use your intended client as well as a browser. Start with one representative file and inspect the playback/transcoding information before adding more simultaneous playback.

The DS225+ transcoding catch

Plex’s NAS compatibility matrix, checked October 23, 2026, marks the DS225+ hardware-transcoding columns No. Its model note says the issue is under investigation. You can reach that matrix from Plex’s official NAS compatibility article or open the Plex-owned spreadsheet.

Synology’s separate codec-discontinuation notice concerns its listed applications and says Video Station is unavailable on DSM 7.2.2. It does not document the cause of that Plex model result. Keep the buying decision simple: DS225+ for DSM backups and compatible-file serving; DXP2800 for the Intel-accelerated media project.

For Jellyfin, the host-driver and render-device requirements still apply. A container installation alone does not supply a missing host graphics path. If you want DSM for storage and already own a suitable Intel mini PC, you can keep the NAS as the file store and run the media server on that separate host; our mini-PC guide helps with that split.

Can you use WD or Seagate drives in a 2025 Synology?

On the DS225+ with DSM 7.3 or newer, third-party HDDs and 2.5-inch SATA SSDs are not restricted to Synology-branded models. Synology’s current drive-compatibility policy says the relevant DS Plus category permits new installations and storage-pool creation with unlisted drives. Drives on its explicit incompatibility list remain unsupported.

Use the policy for your model, drive type and DSM version. It is not a blanket rule for every Synology rackmount or enterprise system, and the policy still distinguishes M.2 NVMe drives. DS225+ has no M.2 slots, so that distinction does not add an NVMe upgrade to this model.

WD Red Plus 8 TB, WD80EFPX, is the CMR drive option in this parts list. WD’s Red Plus data sheet identifies the exact model and recording technology. Match its SKU against the enclosure’s current compatibility information; an allowed unlisted drive is not the same as a model Synology has validated.

UGREEN also directs buyers to its compatibility information for drives, SSDs and memory. For more capacities and brands, use our NAS hard-drive buying guide.

Two 8 TB drives do not give you a 16 TB mirror

A mirror keeps a copy on each drive. With equal-size 8 TB drives, these are the calculated nominal capacities after mirroring or parity, before filesystem, system and reserved-space overhead:

Example drive layout	RAID layout	Nominal array capacity	Binary equivalent
Two × 8 TB	RAID 1 mirror	8 TB	7.28 TiB
Four × 8 TB	RAID 5	24 TB	21.83 TiB
Four × 8 TB	RAID 6	16 TB	14.55 TiB

The two-bay NAS choices fit the first row. The four-bay DXP4800 Plus opens up the other layouts. The TiB values explain part of the difference between a drive label and an operating system’s capacity display; they are not formatted free-space measurements.

Choose the protection and recovery plan before filling the bays. Our RAID, snapshots and backups guide explains why a redundant array and local snapshots still need an independent backup. Keep a copy beyond this NAS and restore a sample file before trusting the routine.

Will your network use the extra speed?

Both two-bay models offer 2.5GbE. To use that link speed, the client and intervening switch also need the right interfaces. A 1GbE client or switch remains a bottleneck even when the NAS has a faster port.

DXP4800 Plus adds 10GbE for a workstation or larger storage workflow. Buy that feature when you have a path to use it—not as a substitute for choosing the right drives or backup destination. Port ratings describe the link; application transfers also depend on the storage pool, protocol and workload. Our switch and NIC guide helps match the rest of the path.

Plan where the NAS will sit as well as which drives go inside. Our small rack and shelf guide shows why a shallow mini rack can be the wrong fit for a desktop NAS, and how to choose deeper support.

What to do when the box arrives

1. Update the NAS software. For DS225+, establish the current DSM drive policy before creating your pool.
2. Identify every drive. Match the model and capacity to the layout you chose, then create the intended storage pool and volume.
3. Build the backup job first. Pick a destination beyond the NAS, run the first backup and restore a small test folder.
4. Add the media server. Follow the supported application or container route and give it access to the intended media folders.
5. Verify playback. Test Direct Play, then a deliberate transcode; inspect hardware use where your chosen server supports it.
6. Add extras one at a time. Keep memory use and your backup routine visible as you add containers or VMs.

The verdict: choose DXP2800 for a focused two-bay Plex/Jellyfin server, DS225+ for the DSM backup workflow, or DXP4800 Plus when four SATA bays, a higher RAM ceiling and 10GbE are already on your wish list. Then choose the drives and the independent backup destination—the enclosure is only the beginning of the storage plan.

Choosing what to put in the M.2 slots? Our NAS NVMe guide compares SSD app pools with cache, with capacity and endurance picks for compatible hosts.

Need more memory for containers? Our NAS RAM upgrade guide separates the DS225+ expansion module from the DXP2800 replacement path and shows how to check the result.

Connect the faster NAS port

Connecting the DXP4800 Plus’s copper 10GbE port to an SFP+ switch? Our DAC vs RJ45 modules vs fibre guide explains the supported conversion path, cable reach and module cooling. The two-bay models’ 2.5GbE ports keep their own link-speed ceiling.