220-1101 Hardware Practice Question
A technician is building a database server that requires fast random read/write performance for small data blocks. Which of the following storage devices will BEST meet this requirement?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates assume any SSD is sufficient for fast random performance, overlooking the significant protocol and interface bottleneck that SATA imposes compared to NVMe, especially when the question emphasizes 'small data blocks' and 'random read/write' where IOPS and latency matter most.
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
✓
An NVMe M.2 solid-state drive
An NVMe M.2 solid-state drive is the best choice because it connects directly via the PCIe bus, bypassing the SATA controller and its protocol overhead. This provides dramatically lower latency and higher IOPS (input/output operations per second), which is essential for fast random read/write performance on small data blocks in a database server.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
A 7200 RPM hard disk drive
Why it's wrong here
A 7200 RPM hard disk drive relies on rotating magnetic platters and a moving actuator arm to position read/write heads. Every random read incurs seek time (typically 8-12 ms) plus rotational latency, yielding only 100-200 IOPS. This mechanical latency is orders of magnitude too slow for the frequent small random reads a database server requires, making HDDs suitable only for sequential or bulk storage.
- ✗
A SATA-based solid-state drive
Why it's wrong here
A SATA-based solid-state drive uses NAND flash memory, so it eliminates mechanical delays, but it is constrained by the SATA 3.0 interface ceiling of 600 MB/s and the legacy AHCI protocol, which exposes a single command queue with up to 32 commands. This creates serialization overhead and higher latency (typically 80-100 µs) compared to NVMe's parallel queue architecture. For a database server with high random read throughput, SATA SSDs bottleneck on interface and protocol inefficiencies despite being flash-based.
- ✓
An NVMe M.2 solid-state drive
Why this is correct
An NVMe M.2 solid-state drive connects directly over the PCIe bus, bypassing the SATA and AHCI layers entirely. NVMe supports up to 64K queues each with 64K pending commands, enabling massively parallel I/O with latencies in the 10-20 µs range and hundreds of thousands of IOPS. This direct low-latency pathway to the CPU and memory makes it the ideal choice for database workloads dominated by small, random reads and writes.
- ✗
An external USB 3.0 hard drive
Why it's wrong here
An external USB 3.0 hard drive imposes multiple layers of overhead: USB protocol framing, bridging electronics, and usually a mobile 2.5-inch mechanical drive inside. USB 3.0 offers 5 Gbps theoretical bandwidth, but real-world throughput and latency are poor because of the bridge and file-system handling, and the drive is not engineered for continuous server operation or high I/O queue depth. It lacks the reliability, heat management, and low latency required for a database server's random read workload.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
PCIe Slots and Expansion Cards
Key term
Serial Advanced Technology Attachment
Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) is a computer bus interface used to connect storage devices like hard drives and solid-state drives to a computer's motherboard.
Key term
Solid-state Drive
A solid-state drive (SSD) is a storage device that uses flash memory to save data permanently, with no moving parts, making it much faster and more durable than a traditional hard disk drive.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This 220-1101 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 220-1101 exam.