Intel short of P-200 chips

"What has happened is that we have ramped the product and have had lower than expected volumes," said a spokeswoman. "It's very much a short-term thing and we will be back to normal by the back-to-school buying season. Demand is higher than ever for our highest performing chips."

However, the shortage is unlikely to show up too much on the radar as the P-200 hasn't been a strong seller, according to vendors. Peter Hubbard, marketing director at Dell, one of the PC makers pushing Pentium Pro hard, said the shortage won't affect delivery times at all.