RPM settings vary from pool to pool, and are determined by several factors. There is no set number. Think of it this way, your pump(s) must satisfy the need. And there is usually more than one need.
Allen points out one. If you have an SWG, your pump's RPMs must create enough flow to satisfy the SWG. Some folks can get away with 1200 RPM, others need more (mine is about 1500). Some like to run their SWG day and night, others just during the day.
Heaters, including solar heaters, might need around 2200 RPM.
My suction-side pool cleaner needs about 2300 RPM.
Folks with water features, like bubblers or water falls, etc, run those pumps at the RPMs that create the desired effect of the feature.
Even if you had no heaters or features or an SWG, the pump must create enough flow and circulation to achieve the desired skimming effect. Some skimmers might do the job well enough at 1200 RPM, but bigger pools with irregular shapes or a lot of wind might need more circulation to get those surface leaves to move well enough to get grabbed by the skimmer(s).
And you can see how these needs will change throughout the year, though Palm Springs has less season swings than other areas. But maybe you'll only heat the pool for part of the year. Others can't use their SWGs in the winter. Pools under a screen room don't have the same skimming challenges as pools under a tree.
So you have to experiment a bit. Allen describes one of those experiments, which is determining the minimum RPMs needed to satisfy your SWG. Are you going to run your SWG 24/7? Are you going to run a heater? What type of cleaning system do you have?
I run my pump 5.5-9.5 hours a day, depending on season. But I don't have a set RPM, rather my controller varies the RPMs throughout the day, and throughout the year, to satisfy various needs. 1.5 hours a night I run 2300 to satisfy my pool vac. Winter I run another four hours during the day, at 1200, for the skimmer (and nothing else, because I can't run my SWG). Spring and fall I run 1550 for four hours a day for my SWG, plus the 1.5 hours at 2300 for my vac. Summer I run three or four different RPMs, 1550 for SWG, 2100 for solar heater, 2300 for the vac and sometimes 2800 here and there when I want to "polish" my surface just before a pool party.
Folks that use robots for cleaning (that require no pump runtime), and have no heaters, can get away with 1200 for their SWG. They just run 1200 24/365. They like to run their SWG 24 hours a day. I run my SWG only during the day, because that's when the chlorine is most being consumed. I don't need to make chlorine at night.
Still others must consider energy costs throughout the day (sometimes cheap, other times more expensive).
So you see, it's not a simple question with a simple answer. You can experiment a bit. Or you can tell us more about your pool, and how you might want to run it, and we can make better suggestions. Job one if you want some additional advice would be to fill in your signature. Something like mine is especially helpful.
