I am under the impression that DV cams that plug via IEEE 1394 ports can only plug into a firewire card. IF my motherboard has a firewire port can i just plug it in? Also if the pins don't match can I just get a converter/adaptor?

I dont want to buy a card and then have to install it. going through mobo would be much easier.

Also if this is possible; would the quality be worse through a 100-120$ mobo (asus, intel, whatever) thanb through a 10$ firewire card?

I cant find the answer on google

Standard normal PC comes with a 6 pin port firewire, if in your case, your DV-Cam might be using a 4 pin type of cable. What you need to do is just buy the cable which is 4 pin to 6 pin firewire cable. Or if yours is a 4 pin on your computer, just buy a 4 pin to 4 pin. There no need to buy a converter or adaptor.