A systems administrator is specifying the hardware for a new database server that will host a high-transaction Online Transaction Processing (OLTP) application. The primary requirement for the storage subsystem is to provide the lowest possible latency for a high volume of small, random read and write operations. Which of the following HDD types is the BEST choice to meet this performance requirement?
The correct answer is 15,000 RPM. For a hard disk drive (HDD), the rotational speed (RPM) is a critical factor in its performance, especially for workloads with many random I/O operations like an OLTP database. A higher RPM means the disk platters spin faster, which reduces rotational latency-the time it takes for the requested data sector to arrive under the read/write head. 15,000 RPM drives are designed for mission-critical, high-performance applications and offer the lowest latency and highest I/O operations per second (IOPS) among HDDs.
10,000 RPM drives are also performance-oriented but offer lower performance and higher latency compared to 15,000 RPM drives. They represent a middle ground between high performance and capacity.
7,200 RPM drives are typically optimized for capacity and are common in nearline storage, file servers, and backup applications where I/O performance is less critical than storage space and cost-effectiveness.
5,400 RPM drives have the highest latency and are generally used in consumer-grade desktops, laptops, or for archival purposes where performance is not a primary concern.