Another GPU length question

Hardware
1

Hi ! Just bought my 2nd HL15! (2.0 this time). since it’s for a 2nd server, i did took the Case+backplane+PSU combo instead of the Full Build like I did for the v1.

I know that maximum length for GPU is 10.25in, but I want to know if I remove one of the fan, what would be the real max length then? Also, what’s the max Height of the GPU so the case top can close?

Note: I won’t have drives where i would remove a fan, so shouldn’t be overheating. Total, I will have 6 or 9 spinning 3.5in disks.

2

If you have a v1, I think the easiest thing would be to take some measurements yourself. I believe the v2 chamber is going to be the same.

The things you need to pay attention to are;

  • If you remove a fan, a longer card might fit, but will slip under the metal brace that holds the mid chassis fans, so inserting/removing the GPU will involve some origami with the fan wall. Might be fine for one install, but will get old if you’re a daily tinkerer.
  • Card dimensions don’t tell you anything about where the power connectors are (end or top), so you need to know that for each card you are considering and allow extra space for the plug plus a reasonable bend radius for the cables, or plan to get various 90- or 180- degree adapters that might be available.
  • Typically the “height” measurement for a GPU does not include the PCIe fingers, so you would need to measure from the top of the PCIe slots to the top of the inside of the case. IIRC 45HL were quoting 160mm max cooler height, and the CPU IHS is 3 or 4 mm lower than the top of the PCIe slot from the mobo surface, so I’d imagine the max specified “height” for a blower style card with the power connectors on the end would be about 156 mm. The GPU I have with power connectors on the top is listed as 125mm high, and I’m not sure I’d want to bend the cables much more, I’d want to use some sort of angled connector.
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3

Thanks for your reply. My current HL15 (v1) is in “production” and I can’t really tinker with it. I’m not really a daily tinker; I like planing and then executing my plan. I used chatGPT yesterday, provided him the HL15 manual, and my GPU brand/model, then ask if it would fit. At first, it doesn’t fit, and then I asked if I remove 1 fan, and it should fit. One thing I forgot was the cable radius like you suggest here. It’s a RTX 3080 EVGA FTW3, so i’ll check for a angle connector probably.

4

There is a CAD model of the V1 linked in some early posts here. I’m not sure if they plan to publish a V2 specific version.

I tend to get GPU dimensions from TechPowerUp;

PXL_20250718_022525169
PXL_20250718_0225251691879×1176 201 KB

I think 300mm is going to be essentially right at the build tolerances of your particular HL15 and GPU.

You may want to put the front left fan on its own header so its speed can be adjusted independently of the others, and perhaps also block off the air path through the drive cage completely for the empty left bays so all the air from that fan pushes out the GPU air and doesn’t mix with the CPU side. You might also want to remove the dust filter for less restricted airflow.

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5

If you remove the front fan (closest to the GPU), you can squeeze in a GPU up to 11.5 inches (~292mm) in length. Just make sure to secure the card well since you’re losing a fan mount point.

As for GPU height, the max is about 150mm - anything taller and the lid won’t close properly.

With no drives in front of the removed fan, your airflow should still be solid, especially with 6-9 spinning HDDs generating some internal airflow movement.

6

Hi,

Is there official drawing of the HL15 v2? I’m looking into buying one soon and I was also wondering what is the best way to add a GPU in it. I’m looking into the RTX Pro 6000. According to this thread, the height should be fine (138mm) put I guess the length would be the problem at 305 mm,

Thanks for your feedback.

7

I don’t think this changed with v2. From about 260mm to 275mm of total length including any end connectors you need to remove and reinstall the mid chassis fan wall to work with the card. From about 275mm to 300mm you need to also permanently remove the fan of the fan wall that blows over the PCIe area. Above about 300mm you need to remove the fan wall and drive cage completely and are on your own for replacements. No-one that I have seen has published a partial fan wall or drive cage for long GPUs. The closest I have seen is Techno Tim removing these and running with SSDs;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lXSdg-8evA

If you start removing fans I’d question if airflow is sufficient.

The HL15 is meant as a storage-first server, it wasn’t designed for huge GPUs or motherboards. If you want to work with large GPUs and lots of storage converged, I’d wait for the Beast, I think you’ll be happier than trying to make an HL15 do something it wasn’t designed for.

8

Thank you for the information,

Yeah, my main goal when I started this endeavour was for storage, but I lost focus along the way :slight_smile:. The appeal for this is the PCIe slot to add fast NVMe drives later on for an iSCSI target pool.

I did found the RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Max-Q Workstation Edition which is 112mm x 267 mm, so it would be easier to fit in later on if needed.

Again, thanks for the information.