In regards to the Nvidia card (And others) when comparing to Matrox cards they don't hold a candle on the 2D output.
I had upgraded from a G400 MAX to a Radeon 9000 Pro and while the 2D quality wasn't as good, it was closer than previous models I tried. So I convinced myself that it was "good enough".
When I bought the Parhelia and put it in I was completely blown away by the 2D clarity and lack of eye strain compared to the ATI card. From now on only Matrox cards are going to live in my machine. While they might not be the best at gaming, they just flat-out stomp other cards into the dust in 2D quality. They ARE that good at it.
By the By, The Nvidia cards have a way to go to catch up with Matrox 2D as well.
Rick