- A
Purchase a Compute Savings Plan for the always-on frontend tier.
A Compute Savings Plan reduces cost for steady compute usage while keeping flexibility across supported compute services. It is a strong fit for the always-on frontend tier because the workload runs continuously and is not interruption tolerant.
- B
Use Spot Instances for the rendering job fleet.
Spot Instances are ideal for interruptible workloads that can checkpoint and restart. The nightly rendering job can resume after interruptions, so Spot can substantially lower compute spend compared with On-Demand capacity.
- C
Move both workloads to Dedicated Hosts.
Why wrong: Dedicated Hosts are meant for license or compliance isolation needs, not routine cost reduction. They usually increase cost and add management overhead for workloads that do not require host-level tenancy.
- D
Keep the rendering fleet entirely on On-Demand Instances.
Why wrong: On-Demand is the simplest option, but it is usually the most expensive for interruptible batch processing. The scenario explicitly allows interruptions, so this does not minimize monthly cost.
- E
Use dedicated GPUs for the frontend tier even though it is CPU-light.
Why wrong: GPU instances are specialized and expensive, and they do not reduce cost for a CPU-light frontend tier. This would add unnecessary spend without improving the described workload.
Quick Answer
The answer is to use a Compute Savings Plan for the 24/7 frontend tier and Spot Instances for the nightly rendering job. A Compute Savings Plan commits to a consistent hourly spend (e.g., $10/hour) in exchange for the largest discount—up to 66%—and applies automatically to any EC2 instance, regardless of family, region, or even Fargate and Lambda, making it perfect for steady-state, always-on workloads like the frontend. Spot Instances, on the other hand, offer up to 90% discount but can be reclaimed by AWS with a two-minute warning, which is ideal for the fault-tolerant, checkpoint-resumable rendering job. On the SAA-C03 exam, this pairing tests your ability to match cost-optimization tools to workload characteristics: steady-state vs. interruptible. A common trap is choosing Reserved Instances for the frontend, but a Compute Savings Plan is more flexible and often yields a better discount for mixed-usage scenarios. Memory tip: “Steady saves with Savings; spotty jobs love Spot.”
SAA-C03 Design Cost-Optimized Architectures Practice Question
This SAA-C03 practice question tests your understanding of design cost-optimized architectures. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. 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.
An ecommerce company runs a 24/7 frontend tier on EC2 and a nightly image-rendering job that can be interrupted and resumed from checkpoints. They want to minimize monthly compute cost without changing the application architecture. Which two actions should they take? Select two.
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"minimum / minimize"Why it matters: Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
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
Purchase a Compute Savings Plan for the always-on frontend tier.
A Compute Savings Plan offers the largest discount (up to 66%) in exchange for a consistent compute spend commitment, making it ideal for the always-on frontend tier that runs 24/7. This plan applies to any EC2 instance family, region, and even Fargate or Lambda, providing flexibility while reducing costs for steady-state workloads.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Purchase a Compute Savings Plan for the always-on frontend tier.
Why this is correct
A Compute Savings Plan reduces cost for steady compute usage while keeping flexibility across supported compute services. It is a strong fit for the always-on frontend tier because the workload runs continuously and is not interruption tolerant.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "minimum / minimize" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✓
Use Spot Instances for the rendering job fleet.
Why this is correct
Spot Instances are ideal for interruptible workloads that can checkpoint and restart. The nightly rendering job can resume after interruptions, so Spot can substantially lower compute spend compared with On-Demand capacity.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "minimum / minimize" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Move both workloads to Dedicated Hosts.
Why it's wrong here
Dedicated Hosts are meant for license or compliance isolation needs, not routine cost reduction. They usually increase cost and add management overhead for workloads that do not require host-level tenancy.
- ✗
Keep the rendering fleet entirely on On-Demand Instances.
Why it's wrong here
On-Demand is the simplest option, but it is usually the most expensive for interruptible batch processing. The scenario explicitly allows interruptions, so this does not minimize monthly cost.
- ✗
Use dedicated GPUs for the frontend tier even though it is CPU-light.
Why it's wrong here
GPU instances are specialized and expensive, and they do not reduce cost for a CPU-light frontend tier. This would add unnecessary spend without improving the described workload.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates might choose On-Demand Instances for the rendering job out of fear of interruptions, failing to recognize that checkpointing makes Spot Instances viable and cost-effective.
Trap categories for this question
Scenario analysis trap
On-Demand is the simplest option, but it is usually the most expensive for interruptible batch processing. The scenario explicitly allows interruptions, so this does not minimize monthly cost.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Spot Instances leverage spare EC2 capacity and can be reclaimed with a 2-minute interruption notice, making them suitable for fault-tolerant, checkpointed jobs like image rendering. Compute Savings Plans automatically apply to any instance family within a region, unlike EC2 Instance Savings Plans which are locked to a specific family, offering more flexibility for evolving architectures. The rendering job's ability to resume from checkpoints ensures that Spot interruptions do not cause data loss, aligning with best practices for cost optimization.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
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
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
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.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SAA-C03 question test?
Design Cost-Optimized Architectures — This question tests Design Cost-Optimized Architectures — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Purchase a Compute Savings Plan for the always-on frontend tier. — A Compute Savings Plan offers the largest discount (up to 66%) in exchange for a consistent compute spend commitment, making it ideal for the always-on frontend tier that runs 24/7. This plan applies to any EC2 instance family, region, and even Fargate or Lambda, providing flexibility while reducing costs for steady-state workloads.
What should I do if I get this SAA-C03 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "minimum / minimize". Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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