SAA-C03 Design Cost-Optimized Architectures Practice Question

A fleet of test servers is rebuilt every week from AMIs. EBS volumes are often left behind after termination, and the team creates daily snapshots of every volume even when nothing changes. Which three actions most reduce storage cost while preserving recovery options? Select three.

⚠ Common exam trap

Many candidates think keeping unattached volumes is a valid recovery option, but it is more cost-effective to snapshot and delete them, and they may overlook that raising IOPS does not accelerate snapshot restore times.

Answer choices

Why each option matters

Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.

Correct answer & explanation

✓

Use gp3 for new EBS volumes instead of gp2 when similar performance is enough.

Gp3 volumes offer a baseline performance that is often sufficient for test server workloads, and they are typically more cost-effective than gp2 volumes when similar performance is adequate. By using gp3, you avoid paying for provisioned IOPS that you do not need, directly reducing storage costs without sacrificing recovery options.

Answer analysis

Option-by-option breakdown

For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.

✓
Use gp3 for new EBS volumes instead of gp2 when similar performance is enough.
Why this is correct
Correct. gp3 decouples baseline performance from volume size, which commonly lowers cost for workloads that do not need gp2's hidden throughput coupling. It is a practical right-sizing move for many general-purpose volumes.
✓
Automate snapshot creation and deletion with Amazon Data Lifecycle Manager.
Why this is correct
Correct. Data Lifecycle Manager removes manual snapshot sprawl and keeps retention aligned to policy. Automation is important here because the problem is not backup absence, but uncontrolled backup growth.
✓
Move old snapshots to the EBS Snapshot Archive tier once they are rarely restored.
Why this is correct
Correct. The archive tier is specifically designed for long-term, infrequently restored snapshots. It preserves recovery options at a much lower storage cost than keeping every snapshot in the standard tier.
✗
Keep unattached volumes around for troubleshooting after instance termination.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Leaving orphaned volumes attached to nothing consumes storage indefinitely and directly increases cost. If they are no longer needed, they should be removed or explicitly retained by policy.
✗
Raise provisioned IOPS on every volume so snapshot restore time feels faster.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Higher IOPS increases cost and does not address the real problem, which is unnecessary retained storage and unmanaged snapshots. Restore speed is not improved by paying for extra performance on all volumes.

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SAA-C03 Design Cost-Optimized Architectures Practice Question

Why each option matters

Option-by-option breakdown

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