Well first off, Welcome to the site!

It sounds like you have done some research already and you pretty much have the answer already. Tanks will be the easiest for keeping a few snakes. I would say that a rack is a bit too much for just a few snakes. Do as you wish but it really comes down to a few things.

1) Do the snakes you are going to keep all have the same humidity/heat requirements?
*if so, then a rack system will do

2) Do you want to have easy viewing for display and enjoyment?
*then you would not want a rack of rubbermaid containers (unless your talking about a glass front store style display) in which case your not going for the cost effective path

3) Room, the big issue. what type of floor space do you have to work with?
*do you have a room that you can dedicate to your collection, or are they going to share say part of your office like I have done.

4) With item #3 in mind, how many snakes are you planning on having?
*unless your starting a breeding operation or something of that quantity, I would recommend just staying with tanks for now. Expand with your collection. Not your collection to your facility.

5) If you find your in need of upgrading you can always sell off no longer needed gear to the next up-&-coming collector.

Really hope I was of some help.
Best of luck!