4 port USB hub - slow ext. HD dl/up speeds?

Hello,
Just got a 4 port USB HUB.
I have a 2009 macbook pro with only 2 USB outlets and a lot of external hard drives for lots of photographs.
In my understanding, if I plugged 4 HD's into the hub (which in turn was plugged into 1 USB port on the laptop), the 4 ext hard drives would be splitting the speeds of that single USB port into 4 ways...thus each HD only operating at .25% of the speed it would achieve if it were plugged in by itself.
Is this correct? Or do all 4 of the devices receive max download speeds regardless of how many are plugged in.

Additionally, how about charging 4 products on the hub...will that charge slower as well?
Can this damage my mac in any way?
thanks so much!
Micah

You didn't mention if the hub is powered or not. If it's not powered, you're in danger of drawing too much power from the MBP forcing it to shut down the USB ports.

As far as using the hub for charging devices, the same applies. I prefer charging devices direct from the AC mains using a multiple charging block.

thanks for the response!
It is not externally powered. As per your suggestion, I think it will be best used plugged into an AC main to recharge multiple devices...

But in terms of downloading/uploading images from my comp HD to the external HD's, the hub is only powered by the computer itself.
So if I plugged 3 HD's into the HUB which is plugged into USB1 and the had another HD plugged into the USB2 directly...would that have effect?
Would this damage my computer at all or is there a way to find out if there were too many HD's attached to the hub?
thanks,
M

So if I plugged 3 HD's into the HUB which is plugged into USB1 and the had another HD plugged into the USB2 directly...would that have effect?

Click to expand...

Yes, it likely would. I wouldn't do it as it may cause your machine to shut down the ports entirely. We've had users report the damaging of their USB ports by doing the same thing. If the USB ports are damaged, it would mean a logic board change - an expensive repair.

If you need to use a hub, buy a good quality powered hub with internal protection. They're a bit more expensive but protecting your MBP from damage is worth the extra cost.