mediumMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
220-1201 Practice Question: A technician is tasked with upgrading a desktop…
A technician is tasked with upgrading a desktop computer that has a 500GB SATA SSD and a 2TB SATA HDD. The motherboard has one M.2 slot (PCIe 3.0 x4) and four SATA III ports. The user wants faster boot times and application loading. Which upgrade will provide the most noticeable performance improvement?
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
✓
Install an M.2 NVMe SSD and migrate the OS and applications to it.
This question tests understanding of storage performance hierarchy. The existing SATA SSD is already fast for boot and applications, but an M.2 NVMe SSD is significantly faster (3-5x). Replacing the HDD with another SSD would not improve boot times as much, and adding RAM does not directly affect storage speed.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Replace the 2TB HDD with a 2TB SATA SSD.
Why it's wrong here
This would improve access to files stored on the HDD, but the OS and applications are already on the SATA SSD. The boot time and application loading would see minimal improvement because the system drive is unchanged.
- ✓
Install an M.2 NVMe SSD and migrate the OS and applications to it.
Why this is correct
An M.2 NVMe SSD is much faster than a SATA SSD (up to 3,500 MB/s vs 550 MB/s). Moving the OS and applications to the NVMe drive will dramatically reduce boot times and application loading.
- ✗
Add more RAM to the system.
Why it's wrong here
Adding more RAM primarily benefits system performance by allowing more applications to run concurrently or handling larger datasets without relying on slower virtual memory (page file) on the storage drive. However, it does not directly increase the read/write speeds of the primary storage device where the operating system and applications reside. If the bottleneck is the speed at which data can be accessed from the drive, increasing RAM will not address that fundamental I/O limitation.
- ✗
Replace the 500GB SATA SSD with a larger SATA SSD.
Why it's wrong here
Replacing a 500GB SATA SSD with a larger SATA SSD, such as a 1TB model, would only increase the available storage capacity. The underlying SATA III interface, which typically limits practical speeds to around 550 MB/s, would remain the same. Consequently, there would be no improvement in boot times, application loading speeds, or overall system responsiveness, as the data transfer rate bottleneck persists with the same interface technology.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
TCP/IP and Common Ports for A+
Key term
RAM
RAM (Random Access Memory) is your computer's short-term memory, temporarily holding data the CPU needs right now or very soon.
Key term
Dual In-line Memory Module
A Dual In-line Memory Module (DIMM) is a small circuit board that holds memory chips and plugs into a computer's motherboard to provide Random Access Memory (RAM).
About these practice questions
This 220-1201 question is part of Courseiva's 972-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This 220-1201 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the 220-1201 exam.