Got my fully built HL-15 today, and am in the process of adding on extras. I’ve a few PCI cards to get installed, and I’ve noticed that there is absolutely no gap between the back wall of the case and the motherboard for the metal tail of a PCI card to fit into.
I’ve loosened the screws and tried to slide the motherboard back, but there is basically zero room for these screws to slide back.
I’ve installed the cards without their brackets for now, but thats not really an option for a GPU that still needs to go in.
It won’t solve your issue directly, but they do seem to have QC issues with the PCIe area spacing on some cases. You can try moving the back of the case as described in one of the comments. I’d email info@45homelab.com and let them know you are in the group of buyers with these issues. Obviously removing the brackets from the cards is not acceptable.
Yeah, had the same issue. Luckily for me, I loosened all the screws on my Motherboard and pushed it back. After slotting in the GPU I retightened the screws. Seems to work so far, but not ideal for a $2000+ USD system. Hopefully just first batch related items!
@DigitalGarden ahh yup it was in there. There are some silver bolts on same side as the IO shield, looks like the back panel was a little too far in.
Loosened the bolts, pushed it out, and tightened back up, PCI cards fit just fine. They were admittedly a little tighter than usual slotting in, but all is working fine now.
Just to add to this. 45Drives is aware of the issue and seems to be working on a fix. This is for anyone else that may be stopping here that did not see the older post, but @Vikram-45HomeLab did drop a reply to the above linked post stating they are aware of the issue and working to fix it.
Anyone know if the final fix for this has been released, and whether it can be retrofitted on the original HL15s? I have a spare 1660 Super lying around that I am thinking about installing into my system, but I am abit weary of doing so because the last time I installed something in the PCIe slot (NVME AOC), it was quite a tight fit.
Seems like it was resolved in January 2024. In the linked thread in the post above yours Vikram says you can email info@45homelab.com for an updated backplate. You probably want to do that before they come out with the v2.
Thanks for the info, I will probably reach out to Vikram once 45HL release the dust filter for the HL15 and place a single order for both parts. (I am based in Africa and logistically it would make more sense to combine shipments)
Cheers!
I faced the same issue with the HL-15. The backplate spacing for PCIe cards and PCI brackets is really tight. What worked for me was loosening all motherboard screws, gently pushing the motherboard back a little, and then re-tightening after installing the card. It’s a snug fit, but solved the problem without removing any brackets.
For anyone still struggling, you can also email info@45homelab.com to request an updated backplate—they’ve addressed this issue in the latest batch.
I had to both move my motherboard away from the back, and loosen the back and move it further out put in cards then tighten motherboard and back panel/ but i was earlier adopter and likely have the old back
Yeah, a couple of us ran into this when the first batch of HL-15 units shipped. The tolerance between the rear panel and the motherboard tray is extremely tight, so the PCI bracket doesn’t line up unless the board sits perfectly flush on the standoffs. Before forcing the GPU in, check the standoffs in many builds one or two of them are slightly over-tightened from the factory and the board doesn’t settle completely flat. I had to remove the board, reinstall the standoffs evenly, and then mount the motherboard while gently pushing it toward the rear IO side before tightening screws. After doing that, the PCI bracket finally aligned correctly. Also make sure the rear PCI retention bar isn’t mounted a fraction too high mine was off by about 1mm and that alone blocked full-height cards. Worst case, a very thin washer under the motherboard screws on the opposite side can shift alignment just enough for the PCI bracket to seat properly (a few builders reported success with that instead of running bracket-less GPUs). So the issue isn’t your GPU it’s basically ultra-tight chassis tolerance plus mounting alignment. Once the board sits perfectly square, full-height PCI cards should fit without removing brackets.
