My PC has standard USB ports (no 2.0) and no firewire.

To transfer the video from my Panasonic Mini-DV camcorder (PV-GS90), what are my options?

I saw a USB-to-IEEE1394 (http://www.martgreat.com/panasonic-pv-gs90-data-transfer-cable.html) cable for sale at $5, which is probably the cheapest solution, but didn't know if I'd be better off getting additional hardware and/or different type cable in the long run, if transfer speed will be an issue for the cable above.
I found this Firewire card/cable kit (http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=103&cp_id=10302&cs_id=1030201&p_id=157&seq=1&format=2) on Monoprice for a decent price, which is likely the route I'll take unless informed otherwise.

Any suggestions/confirmations would be appreciated.
Thanks.

does the pv-gs90 have a firewire port on it? i definitely would not use a usb to fire wire converter, get the dedicated firewire card.

you'll still need software to control the video capturing process, typically, the video editing software will do that.