I recently completed a build for a video editing computer as shown below:
AMD 3.0 dual core
Asus M2N-SLI Deluxe MOBO
ASUS 8500GT Graphics card
2GB Corsair PC800 memory
1.25 TB SATA Hard drive space

I quickly noticed a 2D performance issue. A PassMark test confirmed this. It was over one thousand percent slower that my old P4 system, which was several years old, as well as other old P4 systems that I selected as baselines, in the "2D Shapes" test. The 3D tests were all significantly better than the old systems and the remaining 2D tests showed improvement as well, though not to the extent of the 3D tests. I had some other issues with my Adobe editing software so I upgraded my card to an XFX 8800GTS 512 card. As a result the 3D performance has gone through the roof! I mean it absolutely blows the 8500GT completely away. Unbelievable the difference between those two cards. However, the 2D really changed very little.The "2D Shapes" test that I mentioned earlier didn't change at all. I have purchased an NVidia recommended "Driver Cleaner" program and stripped every possible conflicting video driver from the computer and reloaded the current drivers and seen a miniscule gain in that test. However, it is still not even close to the afore-mentioned baseline computers. Some googling seems to indicate that there is a driver problem with the NVidia cards in 2D performance and my testing certainly seems to confirm that. With all of the video drivers removed, that test soars but stillnot to the extent as the baselines. As soon as I add the drivers back in, POOF! its gone.

Some documentation advises to disable any video capabilities from my MOBO as well but I am not sure how to know if the MOBO has those capabilities and if so how to remove them. It mentions possibly jumpering or BIOS settings but I can't seem to track down how to do this. Don't know if this would even help though.

Any suggestions on any of this?

You would have to disable any onboard video. Look a the back panel and see if there is a VGA or DVI port where all the USB and whatnot ports are. If so, look in the BIOS under Integrated Devices and see if there is anything video related.

Try loading the driver for your monitor as well. (what kind of monitor is it?) Also try finding an older version of the driver for your video card.

Modern graphics cards are crap at 2D, as there's no real acceleration for it (unless you've got Linux, which makes better use of the hardware for 2D).

I used to have a Matrox Mystiqe that could complete the solitaire end game animation as fast as a double click, because it was made for 2D acceleration. Nothing I've had since is anywhere near as fast (9700 Pro, X1950XT, 8800GTS all take a few seconds).

Smoked turkey, what back panel are you referring to? The panel of the case or something on the MOBO itself?

He prolly referring to an onboard video which your MB doesn't have.

I'm not sure, but I think those test might be out of date. I tried running the latest download-able program, and my system whipped through the 2d, and couldn't run the 3d, stating my system doesn't have DX9, which it does. . o O (gave my 8800GTS a low score)

And besides that, I'm running a native resolution of 1680x1050, and that 2d window is much smaller... so there's something not right about the 2d test, and I don't necessarily agree that the 2d has got worse.

Edit:

It actually reminded me of the wintune benchmark wayyyy back when.