If you are running an H&S or Smarty tune, then I would recommend head studs ASAP. Those two were notorious for blowing head gaskets with even mild tuning because their fuel maps were like the bad ones in the article I posted earlier. A bad timing and fuel pressure spike causing too high of cylinder pressures and it is bye bye head gasket.
EFI Live was definitely a game changer smoothing out the fuel maps keeping cylinder pressures in check. You can run a lot higher powered tunes with EFI Live than you could with H & S/Smarty without needing head studs.
One of the tuners on the Cummins forum ,who has been around since the beginning with H&S, told me that they have ran many miles on 525 rwhp trucks without needing head studs with EFI Live. He admitted that you couldn't even come close to those power levels with the H&S without needing studs due to the limited perimeters they had available back then.
As far as the trans, now that EFI live has given the tuners the ability to tune the trans with increased line pressures, they are able to hold higher power levels if driven right and not abused. I for one am slapping a Suncoast M3ga in this thing as soon as the stocker goes.