Best drives for the UGREEN NASync DXP2800 in Canada
By Devin Chua · Data checked by Owen Nakamura · Updated For the UGREEN NASync DXP2800 fit CMR NAS drives like Seagate IronWolf Pro or WD Red Plus across all 2 bays up to 80 TB raw. UGREEN locks no drive brand on the DXP2800: its list is advice, not a gate. At 2 × 8 TB the DXP2800 keeps 7.28 TiB usable in RAID 1. Since its Intel N100 (4 cores) hardware-transcodes Plex through Intel Quick Sync and runs a stack of containers, with a light VM or two as the ceiling, an ordinary CMR drive already saturates the DXP2800's link.
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases on Amazon.ca.
CMR NAS drives for the DXP2800
Only families with confirmed CMR recording and a 24/7 rating, in stock on Amazon.ca and sized for the DXP2800. SMR drives are deliberately kept out.
What sets the DXP2800 apart
The entry to the NASync line: two bays, but a full x86 base with two NVMe slots. The N100 transcodes Plex in 4K, and because UGOS Pro has no SHR, the drive choice here is especially binding.
Who the DXP2800 is for
The DXP2800's Intel N100 (4 cores) is the home-NAS sweet spot. Its integrated graphics hardware-transcode Plex — 4K HEVC included, through Intel Quick Sync — and it runs a stack of Docker containers without complaint; heavy virtualization is the one thing it leaves to bigger machines. With 8 GB stock and up to 16 GB, the DXP2800 suits a household that wants its media server and its drives in one quiet box.
How the DXP2800's network shapes the drive choice
The DXP2800 runs 1 × 2.5GbE. Two-and-a-half gigabit is about 280 MB/s — almost exactly what a modern high-capacity NAS drive reads off its outer tracks — so the DXP2800 sits in the sweet spot where an ordinary CMR drive saturates the link and a Pro model buys nothing on speed. Drives under about 8 TB fall short here for lack of areal density; from 8 TB up, a standard IronWolf or WD Red Plus is the right call on the DXP2800.
A worked configuration for the DXP2800
Seagate IronWolf Pro or WD Red Plus in every bay is the recommendation for the DXP2800. At 2 × 8 TB in RAID 1, the DXP2800 lands 7.28 TiB usable, gives up 8 TB to parity, and survives 1 drive failing. Step the same 2 bays of the DXP2800 up to 16 TB drives and it holds roughly twice that, at the CA$/TB the live table above shows.
One rule holds on every NAS, the DXP2800 included: use CMR drives, not SMR. SMR drives rewrite overlapping tracks and collapse during a RAID rebuild, dragging a repair from hours into days.
The UGREEN drive policy on the DXP2800
unrestrictedOpen. UGREEN mandates no drive brand: “UGREEN NAS does not require branded drives.” The compatibility list is a recommendation, not a lock. UGREEN itself explicitly advises against SMR drives.
The DXP2800 at a glance
| Bays | 2 × 3.5-inch and 2.5-inch SATA |
|---|---|
| Maximum raw capacity | 80 TB 2 × 32 TB hard drives plus 2 × 8 TB NVMe, per the manufacturer |
| Processor | Intel N100 (4 cores) |
| Memory | 8 GB, DDR5 SO-DIMM (2 slots) 16 GB official. Memory vendors certify 32 GB modules for the platform; UGREEN does not endorse that. Anything above 32 GB is unrealistic on the N100. |
| M.2 NVMe | 2 slots 2 × M.2 NVMe, usable as cache or as their own storage pool |
| Network | 1 × 2.5GbE |
| Operating system | UGOS Pro |
| RAID types | Basic, JBOD, RAID 0, RAID 1 |
Keep calculating
To see how much capacity is left after parity, the DXP2800 capacity calculator is preset to its 2 bays and RAID types. For the DXP2800, the wider basics of choosing a drive are in the buying guides, where we also explain why CMR rather than SMR is mandatory in any RAID array.
Frequently asked questions
Can I put third-party drives in the DXP2800?
Yes. UGREEN locks no drive brand on the DXP2800 — its compatibility list is guidance, not a gate — so any CMR NAS drive works.
Which drives fit the DXP2800?
The DXP2800 takes any 3.5-inch and 2.5-inch SATA drive; use a CMR NAS family rated for 24/7 duty such as IronWolf, WD Red Plus or Toshiba N300. On its 1 × 2.5GbE, a standard CMR drive is already fast enough for the DXP2800.
How much capacity is usable in the DXP2800?
In the DXP2800, 2 × 8 TB in RAID 1 gives about 7.28 TiB usable and survives 1 drive failing; the balance is parity.
Can the DXP2800 run Plex with hardware transcoding?
Yes. The DXP2800's Intel N100 (4 cores) includes Intel Quick Sync, which hardware-transcodes Plex including 4K HEVC, so it handles several streams at once without loading the CPU.
Is a Pro drive worth it in the DXP2800?
Marginal. The DXP2800's 1 × 2.5GbE sits right where a standard CMR drive already saturates the link, so a Pro drive mainly buys warranty, not speed.
Devin Chua works out which drives, RAM and NVMe cache fit which NAS model at nasdrives.ca, and what the RAID choice means for usable capacity, checked against what is in stock on Amazon.ca.
Data checked by Owen Nakamura, Technical editor (data checking)