220-1101 Question 236
Single answer3.4 Compare and contrast storage devices.A graphic designer uses a small-form-factor workstation to edit large 4K video files. The current 2.5-inch SATA SSD is nearly full, and the designer wants a storage upgrade that will provide the biggest improvement in read/write performance for current projects without adding any external devices. The motherboard has an available M.2 slot that supports both SATA and PCIe NVMe drives. Which storage upgrade should the technician recommend?
- A
Install a 2.5-inch 7200 RPM SATA hard drive with a larger capacity
- B
Install an M.2 SATA SSD in the available M.2 slot
- C
Install an M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD in the available M.2 slot
- D
Install a USB 3.2 external SSD for active project storage
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: C
Explanation
The best answer is to install an M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD. This question tests the ability to compare storage devices by interface, form factor, and performance in a real-world scenario. A common mistake is confusing the M.2 form factor with performance level. M.2 is only the physical connector and card format; an M.2 drive can be either SATA or PCIe NVMe. NVMe drives communicate over PCIe and typically provide substantially higher sequential throughput and lower latency than SATA SSDs, making them well suited for editing large media files. Traditional hard drives remain useful for bulk storage and backups because of their lower cost per gigabyte, but they are not the best choice for high-performance active workloads. Industry best practice is to verify motherboard support for the M.2 slot type and protocol before installation, since some slots support only SATA, only PCIe, or both.
- A. Incorrect.
This is incorrect. A 7200 RPM SATA hard drive may provide more capacity at lower cost, but it will be much slower than an SSD for large video editing workloads. Mechanical hard drives have higher latency and lower IOPS and throughput than SSDs, so this would not deliver the biggest performance improvement for active project files.
- B. Incorrect.
This is incorrect. An M.2 SATA SSD uses the M.2 form factor, but it still operates over the SATA interface and is limited by SATA performance. It could be a convenient internal upgrade, but it would not provide the maximum performance available from the system if the slot also supports PCIe NVMe.
- C. Correct.
This is correct. An M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD uses PCI Express lanes and the NVMe protocol, which are designed for much higher throughput and lower latency than SATA-based storage. For a workstation handling large 4K video files, NVMe is the best choice among the options for improving performance while remaining internal to the system.
- D. Incorrect.
This is incorrect. A USB 3.2 external SSD can be fast and useful for portability or backups, but the requirement is to avoid external devices and maximize performance for active projects. An internal NVMe drive is generally the better recommendation for sustained professional workstation use and avoids the limitations and inconvenience of external storage.