ROUND ROCK, Texas  Dell Computer Corp. blamed a shortage of microprocessors from Intel Corp. and weak sales in the commercial PC sector for cutting into its fourth-fiscal-quarter revenue base, making it the second PC OEM this month to cite Intel for failing to issue an adequate supply of processors.

Dell said a shortage of CPUs will cut into its revenue base by $300 million, while a weaker PC sector will cost the company $500 million in sales, lowering revenue for its fourth fiscal quarter ending Jan. 28 to $6.7 billion. The company also said earnings of 16 cents per share will miss consensus estimates of 21 cents by a huge margin.

For the second quarter in a row, Dell is warning investors that results will not meet expectations. Last quarter, the company blamed higher DRAM prices; this quarter, it's citing an insufficient supply of microprocessors, including Intel's Coppermine, according to a Dell spokesman.

In December, for instance, Dell was forced to delay shipment of its new PCs because a bug was found within a small number of Coppermine microprocessors for the desktop, the company said.

Dell's situation is reminiscent of Gateway Inc.'s, which earlier this month said its inability to secure adequate supplies of Intel's lower-end 450-MHz Pentium III and 400-MHz Celeron processors contributed to lower-than-expected earnings.

Though Gateway's 42-cent earnings per share missed analysts' estimates by only 7 cents, the lack of supply prompted Gateway to end its sole-sourcing arrangement with Intel and add the Athlon processor from Intel rival Advanced Micro Devices Inc. to help meet customer demand.

Asked whether Dell would consider securing additional microprocessor supplies from other vendors, such as AMD, the spokesman said that Dell considers “alternative suppliers across the component spectrum all of the time.”

Although the spokesman contended that Dell's customers are “best-served” by its sole-sourcing arrangement with Intel, the company will “look at other options in the future as well.”

In addition to the microprocessor shortage, Dell said that a slower-than-expected rebound in commercial PC demand following the Y2K rollover is affecting growth.