confused on the FPS thing, on video cards

okay we all talk about FPS(frames per second) when it comes to how well your game runs on your computer. One thing i dont get though is what does having more FPS do besides making it seem less bumpy. Does having more frames make it more graphical , so to speak? For instance i play need for speed most wanted maxed out on everything and i get about 24-30 fps. For me, once it gets over 24 fps i dont even see bumpyness, dont even notice them. When i play a game that gets way mroe Fps like 40-50 i dont see, or should say bumpyness then i did when i was playing at 26 fps. So if more frames dosnt equal better graphics, then as long as it dosnt seem to bumpy for you , then isnt that what you wont? Maybe i dont notice them or something, not sure. The only thing i might notice is sometimes i get a little motion sickness when stairing at a game on the pc for a couple of hours, but thats not all the time. So what do you guys think on this subject?

The main reason is that if you get 30 FPS on average, then you are probably getting some periods with lower rates, resulting in skippy gameplay at busy moments in the game.

For this reason I like to aim for about 50+ FPS average, 30FPS minimum, so it never gets skippy at those crucial moments...

Its in the eye of the beholder. If you don't notice a difference above 26fps then spend your money accordingly.