Hopefully I'm posting in the right section. I've had the Dell Inspiron Desktop Ryzen 5 for almost a year now specifically for gaming, and I have the Sims 2 and Minecraft Win10 installed and they both run smooth (I also have Assassin's Creed: Unity I got for free but I haven't installed it yet). As the link says, this desktop has 8GB of RAM that can be upgraded to 32GB and a 1TB 7200 rpm hard drive, but no info about an SSD slot. I do plan on upgrading the RAM sometime in the future, and I have nothing on my D: drive that I installed myself at the moment.

My question is; can you install TS3 on an internal hard drive, otherwise the D: drive? One of these days I'm gonna buy TS3 again or I'm gonna get the free collection through Origin like they did TS2 if they ever make it. I don't want all of the packs, just the starter pack, expansion pack bundle, 3 separate expansion packs, and 4 stuff packs that I like the most. I won't have a bunch of CC either (besides defaults, CAS stuff like sliders, and houses), just important mods and other stuff to make the game run better. I have read that installing the game on an SSD makes it run better than the standard HDD, but I'm not sure if my desktop has a slot dedicated for an SSD, looking it up on Google gave me mixed results.

To put it simply, will TS3 run fine if it's installed on my D: drive compared to the C: drive? Will it be playable?

And here's my specs from off the top of my head in case the link doesn't open:

OS: Windows 10 Home 64-bit
Processor: AMD 1st Generation Ryzen 5 @ 3.2 gHz
Processor Model: Ryzen 5 1400
Memory: 8GB DDR4 2400MHz
Storage: 1TB Mechanical Hard Drive (64MB Cache) 7200 RPM SATA
Graphics Card: AMD Radeon RX 570

EDIT:

turns out my C: drive holds the actual 1TB of storage, and that I have no other drive installed on this desktop. I have 931 GB of space left. Still, the question still stands.

"To put it simply, will TS3 run fine if it's installed on my D: drive compared to the C: drive? Will it be playable?" Yes, absolutely.

I haven't checked specifically but your computer should have enough room for an SSD. Most motherboards come with an-unused SATA-III connector so you'd probably have to use that.

The C and D drives are just names for storage sections. You can have SSDs or HDDs or SSHDs or a mix, and the letter doesn't matter too much. I think the motherboard of the computer decides how many you can have plugged in directly, but you can also have things stored on external harddrives that connect via USB (I wouldn't recommend having the actual program on an external disk - but some people use external disks for the saved games location if they have small C: drives).

The main drive is usually named C, and usually has the operating system installed (hence the "main" drive). While you can install most programs on any disk you like as long as there's space to store it, installing on the main drive (C) is often a bit easier, mainly because that's the default location programs like to use - but other than that you're mostly free to decide where to install things.

Sorry I just now saw these replies but thanks @simmer22 and @ajaxsirius for your input! That definitely helps, and I did look into an external HDD but not for putting the games on it but for more storage for like, pictures and such. But if my computer can hold an SSD I'll most definitely save up money and get one. I read that a 500GB SSD is usually the best option to go with when it comes to TS3 + if you have a lot of CC, though I was looking into a 1TB SSD as well just to be on the extra safe side. I do wish the website I ordered my desktop from had the 256GB SSD version, though. But once I crack the tower open and look inside I'll know for sure.

EDIT: after a look on Amazon of my desktop and there are 2 slots for SSDs, with one an M.2 SSD slot (one person included a picture) and 3 slots for HDDs, and a proprietary 460w (some say 470 and 450) power supply. The graphics card can also be updated, but I'm comfortable with the one I have. One reviewer said that there's only one extra slot for a RAM stick, so I'll have to look into buying an extra 8GB stick or buy 2 16GB sticks to bump it up to 32GB. I know TS3 doesn't use more than 3.7~ GB of RAM (wish EA would make a 64-bit version) but I picked up the habit of listening to music on YT, Fraps, and having Photoshop C5 open all at the same time so 32GB will definitely be a good cushion.

Since my last post I updated my computer's warranty so by this time next year I'll be ready to sit down and add in the upgrades I want. I've considered a 1TB SSD to be overkill since I don't see myself playing any other games than the ones I'm looking at currently on Steam, so a 500GB SSD (I hear Samsung's EVO series is very good) paired with my 1TB HDD would be a good deal. I plan on adding another 8GB stick, preferably the same one I have in my computer currently, since having 32GB of RAM would be too much money to spend. Only thing I worry about is my power supply and how that'll affect my future upgrades.

I haven't looked too much into it, but would I need to upgrade my power supply if I intend to add in an extra RAM stick and an SSD? Like I said before, I don't plan on getting a graphics card since I like the one I have. My current power supply doesn't overheat or run loud and I play TS2 for hours without hearing any noise, so I wonder how this will do if I buy most of TS3 expansion/stuff packs.

EDIT: also I found the manual for the desktop I have if anyone wants to read it.

If you're only adding an SSD and a RAM stick, then no need to upgrade power supply.

that's good to know , thank you!

Ok I'm back. After a few months thinking about it I'm getting an xbox one for games and designating my PC for sims games only with minecraft and whatever computer game I come across. My 1TB hard drive still has space but with the current outlook of my budget I won't be able to get a 500GB SSD. A 256GB SSD sounds good just for sims 3 with only the important mods and very little CC, no worlds besides riverview. I won't get all of the sims 3 games, so I'll list the games I have on my wishlist:

Sims 3
Ambitions
World Adventures
Generations
Late Night
Seasons
University Life
Supernatural
Outdoor Living Stuff
Town Life Stuff
Master Suite Stuff
Diesel Stuff
High-End Loft Stuff

I tried to add up the GB according to this guide and while it may not be accurate, it gave me 27.16GB. It may not be enough if I count the user folder and saves that'll accumulate over time unless I transfer things to my HDD, but for my budget I may have to bite the bullet.

EDIT: also reading the manual states that the SSD capacity for the tower goes up to 256GB and up to 2TB for the HDD, so I think it would be best to just get a 256GB SSD in case a 500GB wouldn't install.