1000 rects shouldn't be a problem, I get even higher framerates using my old notebook and my unoptimized chaotic particle system.
But there are 2 things that have a heavy impact due to the 2D in 3D way:
1. The larger the image, the more time it takes. So you should try to use textures of the same size as real 2D images would be (64x64, 128x128 in max) if you use them on sprites and not just as a single background image
2. If possible, make sure that all drawing commands of the same image are placed with each other. But don't waste to much time on organizing that. Same goes for setscale etc. The less changes you have, the better the performance.
As a side note: If possible use OpenGL or the user created DX9 driver. The DX7 is 30-60% slower than those two and the more you push through the worse its performance gets!
But there are 2 things that have a heavy impact due to the 2D in 3D way:
1. The larger the image, the more time it takes. So you should try to use textures of the same size as real 2D images would be (64x64, 128x128 in max) if you use them on sprites and not just as a single background image
2. If possible, make sure that all drawing commands of the same image are placed with each other. But don't waste to much time on organizing that. Same goes for setscale etc. The less changes you have, the better the performance.
As a side note: If possible use OpenGL or the user created DX9 driver. The DX7 is 30-60% slower than those two and the more you push through the worse its performance gets!