The exclusivity payments constituted a steadily growing part of what Dell reported as its operating earnings, from 10 percent in fiscal 2003 to 38 percent in th

The exclusivity payments constituted a steadily growing part of what Dell reported as its operating earnings, from 10 percent in fiscal 2003 to 38 percent in the fiscal 2006, then jumping to 76 percent in the first quarter of fiscal 2007, the S.E.C. said. One more year and they could have quit selling poorly made computers altogether and made a business out of not using AMD.