From what i ahve heard (and this doesnt mean i am right, but doesnt mean im wrong), the radeon family of products offer some of the best 2d rendering on the market. Matrox and ATi have both been at the 2d game for years, and its only now that ATi have really caught up in the 3D rendering. This seems to suggest to me that ATi if not better that matrox, would offer similar performance in 2d, and completely ahnnialate in 3d...
have phun