Reddit mentions of Computer Architecture: A Quantitative Approach, 4th Edition

I wouldn't worry about it too much unless it shows up as a hotspot in a profile. Mature compilers these days are pretty good about optimizing loops and applying small tricks like conditional moves to make some things branchless.

Still, the Agner Fog manuals are a pretty good place to start for learning about some of these things. And a good introductory text on computer architecture such as Hennessy and Patterson can be helpful too.

Look into computer engineering. If you're interested in hardware meets software, you'll explore computer architecture.

See: Computer Architecture Quantitative Approach

and
Computer Organization and Design

As someone else mentioned, the Hennessy and Patterson Computer Architecture: A Quantitative Approach, and the Patterson and Hennessy Computer Organization and Design are the de facto standards (I used both in my Comp. Eng. undergrad) and are really fantastic books (the latter being more "software" oriented so to speak).

They are not EE textbooks (as far as I know) but they are text books nonetheless. A great book I found that is slightly dated but gives a simplified review of many processors is Inside the Machine: An Illustrated Introduction to Microprocessors and Computer Architecture which is less technical but I enjoyed it very much all the same. It is NOT a textbook, and I highly, highly recommend it.

Hope that helps!

Why not change the school?

If this is not an option, you have to study yourself. Here are the books:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0262033844
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0123704901

Check your sources, all of the listed techniques have been around in computer architectures for decades. cfr. Computer Architectures

I think this is a good book.