Dell To Ship Dimension Desktops With AMD Chips

Dell said it also aims to roll out a "two-socket and multiprocessor server" with AMD Opteron processors by the end of the year. The Round Rock, Texas-based computer giant had announced in May that it planned to ship an Opteron server this year.

This latest move, however, marks the first time that Dell said it would sell desktops with processors other than those made by Intel. The AMD desktop announcement also comes at a time when Dell is under pressure from rivals and its own service and technical missteps.

Dell announced the AMD deal as it reported its second-quarter financial results. The company posted sales of $14.1 billion, slightly above Thomson Financial's consensus analyst forecast, and a profit of $605 million, or 22 cents per share. Dell's second-quarter earnings met projections, which the company had lowered last month.

Dell executives are scheduled to provide more details on the company's second-quarter results later Thursday in a conference call with financial analysts.