Swap also works really well for desktop workloads. (I guess that's why Apple uses it so heavily on their Macbooks etc.) With a good amount of swap, you don't

Swap also works really well for desktop workloads. (I guess that's why Apple uses it so heavily on their Macbooks etc.) With a good amount of swap, you don't have to worry about closing programs. As long as your 'working set' stays smaller than your RAM, your computer stays fast and responsive, regardless of what's open and idling in the background.