220-1101 Question 237
Single answerHard drivesA technician is replacing the failed system drive in a small office desktop. The user wants the fastest possible storage performance for the operating system and applications, but the motherboard only has SATA III ports and no M.2 slot. Which drive should the technician install to best meet the requirement?
- A
A 7200 RPM SATA hard disk drive (HDD)
- B
A 2.5-inch SATA solid-state drive (SSD)
- C
A 5400 RPM SATA hard disk drive (HDD)
- D
A PCIe NVMe M.2 solid-state drive (SSD)
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: B
Explanation
The best answer is a 2.5-inch SATA SSD because the scenario limits the technician to SATA III connectivity. In A+ Core 1, candidates are expected to match storage technology to system compatibility and business requirements. Compared with mechanical hard drives, SATA SSDs deliver much better real-world performance for OS and application workloads due to lower access times and higher IOPS. While NVMe SSDs are faster than SATA SSDs, they require compatible interfaces such as M.2 or PCIe support. Best practice is to verify motherboard interfaces, form factor support, and user requirements before selecting a replacement drive.
- A. Incorrect.
A 7200 RPM SATA HDD is faster than a 5400 RPM HDD for many tasks, but it is still significantly slower than a SATA SSD in boot times, application launches, and random read/write performance. A technician might choose this if focusing only on traditional hard drive speed ratings, but it does not provide the best performance available for a SATA-only system.
- B. Correct.
A 2.5-inch SATA SSD is the best choice. Since the motherboard supports only SATA III and does not have an M.2 slot, a SATA SSD provides the highest practical performance the system can use. SSDs have much lower latency and much faster random access than mechanical drives, making them the preferred option for operating systems and applications in real-world desktop upgrades.
- C. Incorrect.
A 5400 RPM SATA HDD is typically used when lower cost, lower power use, or higher capacity is more important than speed. It would not meet the user's requirement for the fastest possible storage performance. This option reflects the common misconception that any replacement drive that physically fits is acceptable, even when performance is the primary goal.
- D. Incorrect.
A PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD is very fast, but it is not appropriate here because the motherboard has no M.2 slot. Even though NVMe drives generally outperform SATA SSDs, the technician must choose hardware that is compatible with the existing system. This distractor targets the common mistake of selecting the theoretically fastest technology without verifying motherboard support.