"I don't think HP's gain means Dell's loss," she said. "These are two vastly different creatures, the consumer and the business buyer." Bracelin said several factors that helped Palo Alto, California-based HP, the world's largest PC maker, also bode well for its nearest rival Dell, based in Round Rock, Texas. Those include strong PC demand, improving sales of server computers and data-storage equipment, and higher PC prices. Costs of computer components such as memory have also fallen. HP shares rose 0.2 percent on the New York Stock Exchange, while Dell slumped 1.2 percent on Nasdaq as investors shifted to HP before Dell reports fiscal third-quarter earnings on Nov. 29. Dell is down 14 percent in the past two weeks compared with HP's 8 percent decline amid broader market losses.