> For some reason I'm hung up on the idea of separate components...

You said up-top that [you've] "Always been afraid to have them together if one or the other cratered."

But, so what?

If any component goes, you're out of business with any setup unless you've got backup hardware.

The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire