New Build for Gaming and Streaming

I've heard a bit about DDR4 RAM, and the new motherboards that come with it, but it seems like it's going to be a while before they come out and the price increase is going to be significant.
I initially had the H100i, but a friend of mine recommended the Noctua cooler as a better air alternative.

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I think it will be a while before we see DDR4 - at least not before the next round of Intel and AMD CPUs.

The Noctua cooler is a good choice, there's also better closed liquid loops available.

I've also been told that the Z87 > X79 for what I'm trying to do. Would going Z87 + 4770K be better for what I'm trying to do?

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Yeah you're not going to see a lot of extra benefit by spending the money on X79. It just isn't going to be worth it.

I've also been told to downgrade the CPU/GPU, but I'm extremely reluctant to do that. Those are the 2 parts I really dont want to cheap out on. I'm comfortable with a pricepoint anywhere between $2k-2.5k. Also I'm in Canada, if that matters.

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You don't need a six core CPU for gaming - most games barely use two cores as it is. Where you should be spending the money is the GPU. That's one area where you should downgrade, as you're paying a ton of money for not much improvement.

For a budget of $2500 this is what I would suggest:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($249.99 @ NCIX)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Eisberg 240L Prestige 60.2 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($169.99 @ Memory Express)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 EXTREME6 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($184.99 @ NCIX)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($87.95 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: Crucial M550 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($168.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ Canada Computers)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 780 Ti 3GB WINDFORCE Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($754.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 780 Ti 3GB WINDFORCE Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($754.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 Blackout with Window ATX Mid Tower Case ($119.75 @ Vuugo)
Power Supply: EVGA 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($139.99 @ NCIX)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Memory Express)
Total: $2706.59
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-06-10 18:26 EDT-0400)

I went a bit over budget but that's how $2500 should be spent on a gaming rig.

Photonboy's build: http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/CxWcRB

Build comments:
*First, you need to understand that STREAMING can be done via the NVENC encoder primarily on the NVidia graphics card. Shadowplay can already do this and the hit to frame rate is often under 5%.

Thus, you do NOT need a better CPU than the i7. I'm also recommending the i7-4790K which will be available when you build your system. It's DEFAULT Turbo speed is 4.4GHz.

1) CPU: i7-4790K
- I have the current i7 as a placeholder.

2) Motherboard:
Asus makes quality boards, Z97 has better Haswell refresh support, and this board in particular has an awesome audio solution that can create VIRTUAL 3D to stereo headphones. It's quite amazing.

3) DDR3 memory:
8GB is currently plenty, and more than 1866MHz CAS9 is not necessary. I chose red to match the motherboard.

4) Graphics card:
Recommend a single GTX780Ti. Don't get a second one, but rather take that money and put it towards the new Asus G-Sync Swift monitor (27", 2560x1440, 120Hz capable).

G-Sync is about the ultimate smooth gaming experience. I'll provide links later.

5) Storage: 250GB SSD + 3TB HDD
- Windows/apps on the SSD and Steam, media etc on the HDD
- Partition the SSD so you have 100GB left and use that as a 2nd Steam folder. You can MOVE games there from the original steam directory. Ones like SKYRIM that have frequent loading times (jump around map, new building etc). Most games don't benefit from an SSD much. Again, load times.

6) CASE:
You may want a different case. Personal preference.

7) Power Supply:
- I prefer semi or full-modular. Do some research. Make sure it supports the Haswell (4th gen) C6/C7 power state.

8) Windows 8.1 64-bit:
Do NOT get Windows 7. You may want to get START8 however to avoid the new interface. I use both now. W8 has a lot of improvements under the hood, including UEFI security to prevent boot-time viruses but many other things.

Other:
G-Sync information:
New monitor: http://www.asus.com/us/News/xXtX0FNhXQWPrry7

Preview: http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardware-canucks-reviews/64586-week-nvidias-g-sync-monitor.html

Linus techtips: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PJjhBUSuHk

NVidia (Watch Product Demo video): http://www.geforce.com/hardware/technology/g-sync

SUMMARY:
The ultimate gaming build is about the proper BALANCE of parts. This soon will include having a G-Sync monitor for supported NVidia cards. The absolute BEST gaming system will have G-Sync.

As I said, streaming can be done using the NVENC encoder on the NVidia card so the i7-4790K is plenty powerful so don't spend more on a CPU as that money is better spent elsewhere.

Cheers.

Update: The Noctua NH-U12S is a great cooler. I've been overclocking an i5-4670K and it's very quiet. I'm also not a fan currently of liquid cooling as there are a few issues such as pump fail/noise, fan configuration (intake versus exhaust) and cost. The NH-U12S will run the i7-4790K at 4.4GHz with very little noise (silent in idle, barely audible when stressed).