SAA-C03 Design Cost-Optimized Architectures Practice Question
This SAA-C03 practice question tests your understanding of design cost-optimized architectures. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. A key principle to apply: aWS Graviton instances use ARM-based processors designed by AWS.. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A marketing site runs on x86 EC2 instances and uses open-source software with no architecture-specific licensing restriction. What should be evaluated to reduce compute cost? The architecture review board prefers a managed AWS-native control.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
AWS Graviton-based instances after performance testing
Option C is correct because AWS Graviton-based instances use ARM-based custom processors that offer up to 40% better price-performance compared to comparable x86 instances for many workloads. Since the marketing site runs open-source software with no architecture-specific licensing restrictions, migrating to Graviton after performance testing can significantly reduce compute costs while leveraging a managed AWS-native control (e.g., EC2 Auto Scaling groups with Graviton instance types).
Key principle: AWS Graviton instances use ARM-based processors designed by AWS.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
Cross-Region data replication for all data
Why it's wrong here
Replication improves resilience but adds transfer and storage cost.
✗
io2 Block Express volumes for all instances
Why it's wrong here
High-end block storage increases cost unless required by performance needs.
✓
AWS Graviton-based instances after performance testing
Why this is correct
Graviton instances often provide better price performance for compatible workloads.
Related concept
AWS Graviton instances use ARM-based processors designed by AWS.
✗
Dedicated Hosts by default
Why it's wrong here
Dedicated Hosts are usually chosen for licensing or isolation, not basic cost reduction.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may assume Dedicated Hosts (Option D) are cost-effective for all workloads, but they actually increase costs due to per-host billing and are only justified for specific licensing or compliance needs, not general compute cost reduction.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Graviton processors are based on the ARM Neoverse architecture and are optimized for scale-out workloads, offering a different instruction set (AArch64) that requires recompilation of software. Under the hood, Graviton instances use AWS Nitro System for virtualization, which offloads I/O and management functions to dedicated hardware, reducing overhead and improving performance consistency. In a real-world scenario, a marketing site running a LAMP stack (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP) on x86 could see 20-30% cost savings after recompiling binaries for ARM and validating performance with tools like the AWS Graviton Technical Guide.
KKey Concepts to Remember
AWS Graviton instances use ARM-based processors designed by AWS.
Graviton instances often offer better price-performance than x86 instances for compatible workloads.
Migration to Graviton is suitable for open-source software without x86-specific licensing.
Performance testing is crucial before migrating production workloads to Graviton.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
AWS Graviton instances use ARM-based processors designed by AWS.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Review aWS Graviton instances use ARM-based processors designed by AWS., then practise related SAA-C03 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
Design Cost-Optimized Architectures — This question tests Design Cost-Optimized Architectures — AWS Graviton instances use ARM-based processors designed by AWS..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: AWS Graviton-based instances after performance testing — Option C is correct because AWS Graviton-based instances use ARM-based custom processors that offer up to 40% better price-performance compared to comparable x86 instances for many workloads. Since the marketing site runs open-source software with no architecture-specific licensing restrictions, migrating to Graviton after performance testing can significantly reduce compute costs while leveraging a managed AWS-native control (e.g., EC2 Auto Scaling groups with Graviton instance types).
What should I do if I get this SAA-C03 question wrong?
Review aWS Graviton instances use ARM-based processors designed by AWS., then practise related SAA-C03 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
What is the key concept behind this question?
AWS Graviton instances use ARM-based processors designed by AWS.
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Question Discussion
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