Adding more SATA ports without an add-on card?

Hi all. I built a mini-ITX setup that utilizes a laptop processor a while back but the motherboard only has two SATA ports. Its currently fited with a 2.5inch 512gb HDD and an optical drive. If i wanted to keep the optical drive, but also add more hard drives or an SSD, how could i do that? Im imagining some kind of "sata splitter" though i cant think of a proper name for it. Port multiplier?

The board does have a mini PCI-E slot, however its on the bottom of the board and unless i get a riser cable that lets me change the location of the mini PCI-E slot, a mini PCI-E Sata card stands too tall under the board and prevents me from mounting it in the case. The PCI-E x16 slot currently has a graphics card, and there are no otehr expansion slots.

Am i out of luck or should i just get the mini PCI-E extension/riser cable to relocate that to a more optimal location for use? Thanks in advanced

Something like this work for you? Put it in a separate enclosure. Assuming you have an eSATA port.
http://www.pc-pitstop.com/sata_port_multipliers/6g-sata-port-multiplier.asp

Mr.Scott said:

Something like this work for you? Put it in a separate enclosure. Assuming you have an eSATA port.
http://www.pc-pitstop.com/sata_port_multipliers/6g-sata-port-multiplier.asp

Click to expand...

That certainly looks interesting, but i dont think it'll work. Maybe unless i can reconfigure one of the sata ports as eSata. This is the board:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/SBC-Mini-IT...231078?hash=item3a9b4718e6:g:dnsAAOSwrx5UX3um

Pis of board helps.
This, in a separate enclosure. USB to SATA.
http://www.addonics.com/products/ad5hpmreu.php

Mr.Scott said:

Pis of board helps.
This, in a separate enclosure. USB to SATA.
http://www.addonics.com/products/ad5hpmreu.php

Click to expand...

USB to SATA seems like it might be a little slow no?

I did find this...
https://www.amazon.com/Micro-SATA-Cables-Port-Multiplier/dp/B00AYHXWYU

Any thoughts on that?

USB will be slow, yes, but beggers can't be choosers. You have very few options.
Your linked item will work but read the reviews. I would try to find a little nicer item of the same variety.

Alright i have another idea for what to do with the Mini PCI-E slot. Using a Mini PCI-E extension, how could i possibly expand this to give me USB 3.0 AND additional sata ports?

Something like this caught my attention:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/SINTECH-Min...le-/221692418838?_trksid=p2141725.m3641.l6368

the add in the PCI-E expansion cards with the features i want, and voila! Except the Cooler Master Elite 130 case i'd be using doesn't have extra expansion slots on the back so be stuck with these PCI Slot plates inside my case lol. Hmmm. Im interested in creative solutions. Maybe something out there exists like a mini pci-e (or PCI-E x1) to an expansion card that can fit into a 2.5" bay?

eSATA is nothing more then SATA with a different connector. A internal SATA port can be converted to a eSATA port with just a simple wire and backplate.

However, not every chipset and driver combination will support hot-swapping or port multiplication. That is something that you must research on with your setup.

Most avoid the add-on SATA cards as they tend to perform much worse then the motherboard chipsets which are usually Intel, even if the Intel chip set is SATA2, SATA3 add-on cards tend to be slower.

Im not worried about eSata. It isn't something i want to r need. As far as add-on SATA cards, i wouldn't have a boot drive on it so im a little less worried about it. The more i think about it, the more it just makes more sense to go with a mini-PCIe extension cable and just put a mini-PCIe SATA expansion on it to add whatever storage drives i need and be done with it i suppose. None of this mini-PCIe extension to Mini-PCIe 3 port PCIe x1 expansion board to PCIe x1 USB/SATA/etc expansion cards. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Mpegger said:

eSATA is nothing more then SATA with a different connector. A internal SATA port can be converted to a eSATA port with just a simple wire and backplate.

However, not every chipset and driver combination will support hot-swapping or port multiplication. That is something that you must research on with your setup.

Most avoid the add-on SATA cards as they tend to perform much worse then the motherboard chipsets which are usually Intel, even if the Intel chip set is SATA2, SATA3 add-on cards tend to be slower.

Click to expand...

Did you even read the OP? He has no spare SATA ports.