Six building blocks
| Model | Role | Key specifications |
|---|---|---|
| EX-5410P[src] | PCIe Gen5 GPU / device chassis |
|
| EX-5410C[src] | CXL 2.0 memory chassis |
|
| FX-5016-2[src] | PCIe Gen5 fabric switch |
|
| FX-5015C[src] | CXL 2.0 fabric switch |
|
| HX-5160P-1C[src] | PCIe Gen5 host bus adapter |
|
| HX-5160C-1C[src] | CXL 2.0 host bus adapter |
|
Where the bandwidth is
The practical consequence: in a SmartStack, a host with ten composed GPUs reaches them all through one 128 GB/s link (some Liqid designs fit two HBAs per host[src]), while GPU-to-GPU traffic between cards in the fabric does not have to cross the host. Liqid supports that peer-to-peer path[src]. For workloads that move large datasets between host memory and GPUs, size the number of hosts per chassis with that in mind.
Scaling past one switch
Power, temperature and space
| Part | Size and weight | Power inputs | Management |
|---|---|---|---|
| EX-5410P[src] | 4U · 175 × 447 × 790 mm · 34.34 kg | 100–277 VAC · Saf-D-Grid 400 V | 2 × Gen5 x1, 2 × 10GbE · BMC |
| EX-5410C[src] | 4U · 175 × 447 × 790 mm · 32.58 kg | 100–120 / 200–277 VAC · Saf-D-Grid 400 V | 1 × GE · OpenBMC |
| FX-5016-2[src] | 1U · 43 × 444.5 × 406.4 mm · 8.71 kg | 100–240 VAC · 2 × 550 W Platinum | PCIe 2 × Gen4 x1 · ComE BMC |
| FX-5015C[src] | 1U · 41.7 × 438 × 628.5 mm · 11.6 kg | 100–277 VAC · 2 × 800 W (N+N) · Saf-D-Grid 400 V | 1 × GE · OpenBMC |
Two things to check early: rack depth for a 790 mm chassis, and PDU inlets for Saf-D-Grid connectors. Plan the rack in our rack power density planner and size the circuits with the watts, amps and VA calculator.
Quote Liqid fabric hardware
- Expanding an existing Liqid fabric: chassis, switches, HBAs and cables to match what you run.
- New build: we pick switch count and topology from your host and device counts.
- We confirm the HBA, slot and BIOS requirements for each host server model.
- Rack depth, PDU inlets and inlet temperature checked before order.
Liqid fabric hardware: common questions
What is the Liqid EX-5410P?
A 4U, 10-slot PCIe Gen5 expansion chassis for pooling devices: GPUs, NVMe add-in cards, FPGAs and DPUs, including 600 W cards. It takes ten Gen5 x16 full-height, full-length, double-wide devices and connects to the fabric through four Gen5 x16 ports of up to 128 GB/s each, 512 GB/s in total, through two Broadcom Atlas-2 switch chips.
What is the difference between the EX-5410P and EX-5410C?
The EX-5410P is the PCIe Gen5 chassis for GPUs and other PCIe devices. The EX-5410C is the CXL 2.0 chassis for memory: ten CXL memory modules of up to 2 TB each (1 TB to 20 TB per chassis), five Gen5 x16 CDFP ports for 640 GB/s, and an XConn XC50256 CXL switch chip. Both are 4U and 790 mm deep.
Do I need a fabric switch?
Not always. Liqid’s smallest bundles (SmartStack 10 for GPUs and the 10 TB CXL SmartStack) connect hosts straight to a single chassis with no switch. Larger bundles add one or two top-of-rack switches: Liqid’s SmartStack datasheet specifies an 18-port Gen5 x16 switch. Its published standalone Gen5 switch, the FX-5016-2, has 16 Gen5 x16 ports at 2,048 GB/s total, and Liqid offers its PCIe switches in 8 or 16 ports. We confirm which switch a bundle ships with on quote.
What cables does the fabric use?
CDFP connectors throughout: copper for short runs or active optical cables (AOC) for longer ones. Liqid notes the FX-5016-2 draws about 225 W typically and up to 400 W or more with AOC.
Which host bus adapter goes in my server?
For GPU and NVMe pooling, the HX-5160P-1C: a half-height, half-length PCIe Gen5 x16 card of up to 128 GB/s and 27 W maximum. For CXL memory, the HX-5160C-1C (direct to a chassis) or HX-5160NC-1C (to a switch). Each needs a free Gen5 x16 slot and a BIOS with PCIe (or CXL) native mode.
Does Liqid still support Gen4 chassis?
Liqid’s compatibility list still includes its Gen4 EX-4410 and EX-4420 enclosures, and the SmartStack MX and UltraStack L40S designs use Gen4 EX-4410 (and EX-4408) chassis with 24- and 48-port PCIe switches. Some GPUs carry enclosure conditions on the list, for example the H100 only on the updated Gen4 10-slot enclosure and the H200 NVL only on select Gen5 enclosures.
More Liqid products we supply and quote
Related Servnet guides, tools and hardware
Sources
Every specification on this page comes from Liqid's own product pages and datasheets, listed below with their dates. Where Liqid's web copy and a datasheet differ, we use the datasheet. Figures are confirmed against the current revision when we quote.
- EX-5410P PCIe Gen5 expansion chassis datasheet · dated 11 Dec 2025
- EX-5410C CXL 2.0 expansion chassis datasheet · dated 11 Dec 2025
- FX-5016-2 PCIe Gen5 fabric switch datasheet · dated 26 Aug 2026
- FX-5015C CXL 2.0 fabric switch datasheet · dated 11 Dec 2025
- HX-5160P-1C PCIe Gen5 HBA datasheet · dated 27 Oct 2025
- HX-5160C-1C CXL 2.0 HBA datasheet · dated 27 Oct 2025
- EX-5410P SmartStack datasheet (GPU) · dated 10 Dec 2025
- Liqid Hardware Compatibility List · dated 17 Aug 2026
- SmartStack MX datasheet (Dell PowerEdge MX) · dated 12 Sep 2024
- UltraStack L40S reference design (Dell PowerEdge) · dated 13 May 2024
LIQID, LIQID Matrix, SmartStack and UltraStack are trademarks of Liqid Inc. Servnet is an independent UK IT reseller; this page is our own guide to the range.
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