Best all-in-one home server under $800 for Docker, Plex and a couple of VMs (2026)
Updated 2026-11-08
Short answer. Buy the UGREEN NASync DXP4800 Plus ($619.99; buy: https://dealectric.com/go/ugreen-nasync-dxp4800-plus), the best all-in-one home server under $800 for Docker, Plex and a couple of VMs in 2026, $619.99 diskless on 2026-11-03: four bays plus two M.2 slots, an Intel Pentium Gold 8505 with Quick Sync for Plex, 8 GB DDR5 expandable to 64 GB, 10GbE built in, and UGOS Pro's Docker (with Compose) and Virtual Machine apps with snapshots, ISO and OVA import and bridged networking. Plan on a 16 GB upgrade for a Windows VM.
What to know: the stock 8 GB covers Plex, a Home Assistant OS VM (2 GB, 2 vCPU) and a few containers, not a Windows 11 VM (4 GB and 2 vCPU minimum, 64 GB disk, UEFI and vTPM) on top; a 16 GB DDR5 SO-DIMM ran about $200 in late-2026 listings during the memory shortage and a 1 TB NVMe for the app pool $160–200, so the full build is about $980–1,050 and only the NAS plus one of the two fits under $800. UGOS's VMs have no iGPU passthrough, so Plex transcodes in Docker on the host, not inside a VM. TerraMaster's F4-425 Plus ($569.99, Intel N150, 16 GB stock, two 5GbE ports) is the cheaper box that ships with enough RAM; it lacks 10GbE and its VM support is described as light.
- UGREEN NASync DXP4800 Plus, $619.99. Buy: https://dealectric.com/go/ugreen-nasync-dxp4800-plus
- UGREEN NASync DXP2800 (small option), $389.99. Buy: https://dealectric.com/go/ugreen-nasync-dxp2800
Published 2026-11-03 · prices checked 2026-11-03.
| Model | CPU / RAM | LAN | Docker / VMs | Plex HW transcode | Warranty | Price | Code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UGREEN NASync DXP4800 Plus Buy: https://dealectric.com/go/ugreen-nasync-dxp4800-plus | Intel Pentium Gold 8505, 5C/6T; 8 GB DDR5 (64 GB) | 1× 10GbE + 1× 2.5GbE | Docker + Compose; VM app with snapshots, ISO/OVA import, bridged network, USB passthrough; no iGPU passthrough | Yes (Quick Sync, in Docker with a Plex Pass) | 2 years | $619.99 | No discount code applies. |
| UGREEN NASync DXP2800 (small option) Buy: https://dealectric.com/go/ugreen-nasync-dxp2800 | Intel N100, 4C; 8 GB DDR5 (16 GB) | 1× 2.5GbE | Same UGOS apps | Yes (Quick Sync) | 2 years | $389.99 | No discount code applies. |
| TerraMaster F4-425 Plus | Intel N150, 4C/4T; 16 GB DDR5 (32 GB, one slot) | 2× 5GbE | TOS 6 Docker and VM ('light virtualization') | Yes (UHD graphics; Plex, Emby, Jellyfin apps) | Not found | $569.99 list; $484.99 intro (NASCompares) | Not sold through Dealectric; listed for comparison. |
| TerraMaster F4-424 Pro | Intel Core i3-N305, 8C; 32 GB DDR5 | 2× 2.5GbE | Docker and VM | Yes (Plex Pass) | 2 years | about $699 (reviews, via search) | Not sold through Dealectric; listed for comparison. |
| Aoostar WTR Pro (Ryzen 7 5825U) | AMD Ryzen 7 5825U, 8C/16T; DDR4, two slots | 2× 2.5GbE | Bring your own OS (Unraid, TrueNAS, Proxmox) | AMD graphics, no Quick Sync | Not found | $379 barebone (StarryHope, Sept 2026) | Not sold through Dealectric; listed for comparison. |
| Aoostar WTR Max (Ryzen 7 PRO 8845HS) | AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8845HS; to 128 GB | Listings conflict (2× 10G SFP+ or 2× 2.5GbE) | Bring your own OS | Radeon 780M, no Quick Sync | Not found | $659–709 barebone | Not sold through Dealectric; listed for comparison. |
| Various N305 mini PC + TerraMaster D4-320 USB bay | Intel Core i3-N305 (mini PC price not found; N150 units about $200) | 2.5GbE on most | Bring your own OS | Yes (Quick Sync) | Varies | D4-320 $152–230; no RAID of its own, USB bottleneck | Not sold through Dealectric; listed for comparison. |
| Dell (refurbished) OptiPlex 7010 SFF | i5-3470 (about $140) to i5-13500 builds ($400–550); 16 GB | 1GbE | Bring your own OS | Quick Sync by generation | Refurbisher's | $140–550 | Not sold through Dealectric; listed for comparison. |
| Synology DS925+ | AMD Ryzen V1500B, 4C/8T; 4 GB ECC (32 GB) | 2× 2.5GbE | Container Manager; Virtual Machine Manager | No iGPU | 3 years (5 extendable) | $639.99 list (Feb 2026); $511.99 Prime Day | Not sold through Dealectric; listed for comparison. |
| QNAP TS-464-8G | Intel Celeron N5095, 4C; 8 GB (16 GB) | 2× 2.5GbE | Container Station; Virtualization Station (4 GB minimum) | Yes (UHD graphics) | 3 years | $639 (QNAP store); no current US listing read | Not sold through Dealectric; listed for comparison. |
Rows marked with a code and buy link are products Dealectric lists: the price was verified on the brand's own US store on 2026-11-07 and the code is tested daily in that brand's cart; the date shown is its last pass (last check 2026-11-13). The other rows (Aoostar, Dell (refurbished), QNAP, Synology, TerraMaster, Various) are included so the comparison is complete; their figures and prices were read from the makers' own US pages on 2026-11-03 and are not re-checked daily. The buy links are affiliate links: they open the brand's official US store at no cost to the shopper, and the commission pays for the testing; see the disclosure.
What the workload needs
- Home Assistant OS as a VM: 2 GB RAM and 2 vCPUs minimum, UEFI boot, a bridged network adapter (Home Assistant's install page).
- Windows 11 as a VM: 4 GB RAM, 2 virtual processors, 64 GB disk, UEFI with Secure Boot and a vTPM 2.0 (Microsoft's requirements page); UGREEN's guest tools cover Windows 7, 10 and 11.
- Plex: hardware transcoding needs a Plex Pass and an Intel CPU with Quick Sync; without it Plex wants about 2,000 PassMark per 1080p stream and 12,000–17,000 for 4K, which none of these CPUs spare while VMs run.
- Adding up: 2 GB (HAOS) + 4 GB (Windows) + 2–4 GB of containers + Plex + UGOS itself is 10–12 GB, so 16 GB is comfortable and 32 GB roomy; the DXP4800 Plus takes up to 64 GB in two slots.
- Storage: put the Docker volumes and VM disks on an M.2 SSD pool and the media on the hard drives; UGOS runs the VM app only on the DXP series, not the DH series.
UGOS Pro's VM app
UGREEN's own guide and support article describe a Virtual Machine app on DXP models with VM snapshots (take one before risky changes), ISO import from the NAS or an upload, OVA import and export, bridged networking, guest tools for Windows, and guests including Windows, Linux, OpenWRT and iKuai; a USB device can be assigned to one VM at a time. UGREEN names no hypervisor and publishes no per-VM vCPU or RAM ceiling, and a reviewer's discrete-GPU passthrough test failed in a Windows VM, so treat GPU and iGPU passthrough as unavailable. Reviewers (TechPowerUp, ITPro) call the Plus capable for most home uses but not a machine for many VMs; for that, Proxmox on the same hardware is the usual route.
The bill
NAS $619.99; a 16 GB DDR5 SO-DIMM about $198–230 (CDW and eBay listings, undated, in a year when 32 GB DDR5 kits rose from $100–200 to $350–480); a 1 TB NVMe $160–200 (Kingston NV3 $159.99 in May 2026, Crucial P3 Plus $198): about $980–1,050 before hard drives. Under $800 buys the NAS and the SSD now and the RAM later, which works if the Windows VM can wait. The TerraMaster F4-425 Plus starts with 16 GB for $569.99 but tops out at 32 GB, has no 10GbE and documents VMs as a light feature.
Sources
- UGREEN NASync DXP4800 Plus — ai.ugreen.com
- UGREEN: NAS virtualization setup guide (VM app) — nas.ugreen.com
- UGREEN support: Virtual Machine app (article 229) — support.ugnas.com
- privatehomelab: Zigbee2MQTT and Home Assistant on a UGREEN NAS (USB passthrough) — privatehomelab.com
- smartzone.de: GPU passthrough test on a UGREEN NAS — www.smartzone.de
- Home Assistant: Linux installs (VM requirements) — www.home-assistant.io
- Microsoft: Windows 11 requirements — learn.microsoft.com
- Plex: what kind of CPU do I need for my server — support.plex.tv
- Plex: using hardware-accelerated streaming — support.plex.tv
- NASCompares: TerraMaster F4-425 Plus review — nascompares.com
- Neowin: TerraMaster F4-424 Pro review — neowin.net
- StarryHope: Aoostar WTR Pro — www.starryhope.com
- Notebookcheck: Aoostar WTR Max — www.notebookcheck.net
- Synology DS925+ — www.synology.com
- QNAP TS-464 specs — www.qnap.com
- Digital Citizen: DDR5 prices in 2026 — www.digitalcitizen.life
Published 2026-11-03; figures for other brands read on 2026-11-03; our prices verified 2026-11-07. Corrections welcome at [email protected] or /feedback.