Hi John, >> So you are saying a full fledged PC with an 8-port sata mobo is a better solution.> >a bunch of vendors sell 5-in-3 sata hotswap adapters that hold 5 SATA >drives in 3 HH external bays of a jumbo tower chassis. they seem to run >about $100. each drive bay has its own sata port on the back of these. >example of one of these, >http://www.amazon.com/SUPERMICRO-Hot-Swap-Mobile-System-Cabinet/dp/B00009ILU0 So I am confused, where does this go? It is external? Or does it fit inside a full tower case? -Jason