Virtualisation is good if all you want to do is test the system and don't care about the performance, or install it on top of another system to use semi-frequently.
Live CDs are good for testing out whether the distro is compatible with your computer, and also for checking pre-install things.
I personally only use Live CDs for installing systems completely onto the HDD, or for fixing OS faults (like if Windows refuses to boot and I want files, or the bootloader needs reconfiguring). Usually virtualisation is the method I use for running Linux these days.
Live CDs are good for testing out whether the distro is compatible with your computer, and also for checking pre-install things.
I personally only use Live CDs for installing systems completely onto the HDD, or for fixing OS faults (like if Windows refuses to boot and I want files, or the bootloader needs reconfiguring). Usually virtualisation is the method I use for running Linux these days.