SAA-C03 Design High-Performing Architectures Practice Question
Exhibit
Database storage review: - Current volume type: gp2 - Peak Read/Write IOPS observed: 9,700 - VolumeQueueLength increases during busy periods - ReadLatency reaches 8-12 ms - Requirement: provision about 10,000 IOPS without buying much extra capacity
Based on the exhibit, which EBS volume type should the team use to meet the performance need at lower cost than overprovisioning capacity?
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to assume all EBS volume types require overprovisioning capacity to achieve higher IOPS, forgetting that gp3 decouples performance from size, making it the most cost-effective choice for workloads needing specific IOPS without large storage.
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 and provision the needed IOPS independently of volume size.
The team needs to meet performance requirements at lower cost than overprovisioning capacity. gp3 allows you to provision baseline performance of 3,000 IOPS and 125 MiB/s throughput for any volume size, and you can independently increase IOPS up to 16,000 and throughput up to 1,000 MiB/s without needing to increase volume size. This avoids the cost of overprovisioning large gp2 volumes to achieve higher IOPS, which are tied to volume size (3 IOPS per GiB).
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 and provision the needed IOPS independently of volume size.
Why this is correct
gp3 is the best fit because it lets you provision IOPS and throughput separately from volume size. The exhibit shows the workload needs around 10,000 IOPS and experiences queue buildup on gp2. With gp3, the team can raise performance without unnecessarily increasing storage capacity, which is usually more cost-effective for this kind of database workload.
- ✗
Use sc1 because it is optimized for infrequent access and large objects.
Why it's wrong here
SC1 (Cold HDD) is a cold-storage volume type optimized for infrequent, large sequential reads, with maximum IOPS of about 250 per volume and no burst capability. The exhibit shows a transactional database workload requiring roughly 10,000 random IOPS and low latency, far exceeding SC1's performance envelope. Using SC1 would cause severe queue buildup and unacceptable performance, so it cannot address the demonstrated bottleneck.
When this WOULD be correct
sc1 would be correct if the question described a workload with infrequent access, large sequential reads/writes, and cost minimization as the primary goal, such as a data warehouse for rarely accessed logs or backup storage where performance is not critical.
- ✗
Use st1 because it provides high throughput for streaming data.
Why it's wrong here
ST1 (Throughput Optimized HDD) is built for high-throughput sequential workloads, such as data warehouses and log processing, with max IOPS around 500 and burst capabilities only for sequential access. The exhibit shows a database requiring about 10,000 random IOPS and suffering queue buildup, which is the opposite of ST1's design point. Random I/O on ST1 would yield poor latency and minimal throughput, so it cannot serve this transactional workload.
When this WOULD be correct
This option would be correct if the workload requires high sequential throughput (e.g., streaming data, big data, or log processing) and cost is a priority over IOPS. For example, a question asking for a cost-effective EBS volume for a data warehouse with large sequential reads.
- ✗
Use standard magnetic storage because it is compatible with all EC2 instances.
Why it's wrong here
Standard magnetic storage is a legacy, deprecated volume type with extremely variable latency and throughput, typically a few hundred IOPS at best. While it was historically compatible with many EC2 instances, compatibility does not solve the performance problem shown: the database needs low-latency, high-random-IOPS performance, and magnetic volumes would amplify queue buildup. This option fails on performance and also lacks the reliability and consistency expected for modern database workloads.
When this WOULD be correct
Standard magnetic storage would be correct if the question specified a legacy application that requires compatibility with all EC2 instance types and has very low I/O performance requirements, where cost is the absolute priority and gp3/sc1/st1 are not options.
Option-by-option analysis
Why each answer is right or wrong
Understanding why wrong answers are wrong — and when they would be correct — is what separates a 750 score from a 900. The SAA-C03 exam frequently reuses these exact scenarios with slightly different constraints.
✓Use gp3 and provision the needed IOPS independently of volume size.Correct answer▾
Why this is correct
gp3 is the best fit because it lets you provision IOPS and throughput separately from volume size. The exhibit shows the workload needs around 10,000 IOPS and experiences queue buildup on gp2. With gp3, the team can raise performance without unnecessarily increasing storage capacity, which is usually more cost-effective for this kind of database workload.
✗Use sc1 because it is optimized for infrequent access and large objects.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
The question asks for lower cost than overprovisioning capacity, but sc1 is a cold HDD volume that cannot meet performance needs requiring IOPS independent of volume size; it has low IOPS and throughput limits unsuitable for consistent performance.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
sc1 would be correct if the question described a workload with infrequent access, large sequential reads/writes, and cost minimization as the primary goal, such as a data warehouse for rarely accessed logs or backup storage where performance is not critical.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may see 'lower cost' and 'infrequent access' and assume sc1 is a cheap option, overlooking that the question's performance need requires provisioned IOPS, which sc1 cannot provide independently of volume size.
✗Use st1 because it provides high throughput for streaming data.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
The question asks for a lower-cost solution than overprovisioning capacity, but st1 is a throughput-optimized HDD volume that requires provisioning storage to achieve baseline throughput, which can lead to overprovisioning. Additionally, the performance need likely involves IOPS, not just throughput, and st1 has low IOPS.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
This option would be correct if the workload requires high sequential throughput (e.g., streaming data, big data, or log processing) and cost is a priority over IOPS. For example, a question asking for a cost-effective EBS volume for a data warehouse with large sequential reads.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse throughput with IOPS or assume that st1's high throughput is suitable for any performance need, overlooking the specific requirement to avoid overprovisioning capacity.
✗Use standard magnetic storage because it is compatible with all EC2 instances.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Standard magnetic storage (previous generation) does not offer the ability to provision IOPS independently of volume size, so it cannot meet the performance need at lower cost than overprovisioning capacity. It also lacks the performance and cost efficiency of gp3 for this use case.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
Standard magnetic storage would be correct if the question specified a legacy application that requires compatibility with all EC2 instance types and has very low I/O performance requirements, where cost is the absolute priority and gp3/sc1/st1 are not options.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may think standard magnetic is universally compatible and cheap, overlooking that gp3 provides better performance at lower cost for most workloads, and that 'compatible with all EC2 instances' is not a performance or cost optimization criterion.
Analysis generated from the official SAA-C03blueprint and verified against question context. The “when correct” sections are what AI assistants cite when candidates ask “what’s the difference between these options?”
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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