If you have it setup right you can flip to the other desktop quick, see what you want and flip fast. I haven't seen a good virtual desktop implementation since around 1998 though, and have given up.
What makes for a good or bad virtual desktop implementation?
Easy to switch, easy to know what you have on each one. Easy to move windows to different desktops. I go years between trying them and always get frustrated by how poorly they work, but it has been so long since my last attempt that I don't remember exactly what annoyed me last time I tried.