Fastest Core 2 Duo or Quad for 965 Platinum?

I've got a 965 Platinum running an e6700 core 2 duo with 4GB of 800 MHz memory....
I'll be going to to Windows 7 64-bit and since I'm using Photoshop CS4 and Lightroom I'd like to put in more horsepower and memory.  I looked at the CPU compatibility chart at MSI and it seems to think the fastest Core 2 Duo is an e8500 and and quad is a q9550.  BUT, I noticed the quad still shows the old C1 stepping (which I thought had
been changed last August) so I'm wondering how out-of-date the chart is?
Can someone tell me what I can upgrade to, what kind of performance improvement I'm likely to see - is the quad significantly better than the duo (if known), and any gotcha's I need to be aware of?
Also, the specs say
Main Memory
• Supports up to 8GB memory size (DDRII 533/667).
• Supports up to 4GB memory size (DDRII 800).
• Supports dual channel DDRII memory architecture.
• Supports DDR2 533/667/800 memory interface.
Does this motherboard actually support memory running at 1066 or not?  I was thinking of putting in 8GB of PC8500, DDR2 memory running at 1066 MHz.....  Will this motherboard support the memory or does it really top out at 4GB at 800 MHz?

Quote from: dkperez on 24-July-09, 18:13:17
the fastest Core 2 Duo is an e8500 and and quad is a q9550.  BUT, I noticed the quad still shows the old C1 stepping (which I thought had
been changed last August) so I'm wondering how out-of-date the chart is?
Its a bit old, yes, so buying a new Q9550 is a gamble, like you already noticed.
Search this forum, maybe someone got it to work and maybe MSI has a betabios to get it running, but i cant tell you for sure.
However a C2D will do nicely in most situations, I dont know what you are using for programs, but it depends on the software if its multithreaded and thus use all cores.
If most of your software is single threaded, or doesnt benefit from more then 2 cores, a C2D will do just fine.
Quote from: dkperez on 24-July-09, 18:13:17
Does this motherboard actually support memory running at 1066 or not? 
Nope, like charts says, only 667/800MHz.
And yes it tops out at 4GB @800MHz, remember its an "old" chipset.

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