The Quick Verdict
Get the BenQ AH30ST 1080P Short Throw LED Golf Simulator Projector. It lists at $1,499, which is $1,000 under the LK830ST at list. It has a 1.2x zoom lens, so you get some slack in where it mounts, and BenQ publishes a 3-year warranty for it. The BenQ LK830ST 4K Short Throw Laser Projector earns its $2,499 MSRP in one case: when the lens has to sit very close to the screen. Its 0.496:1 lens puts a 10 ft wide image just 5.0 ft back. It also lists 4K resolution and 4,000 lumens. Check price at Amazon →
What They Have in Common
These are two 2025 BenQ projectors, and both are short throw by the numbers. BenQ gives each one a golf mode. Both are natively 16:9, and BenQ states 4:3 and 1:1 modes for both. Input lag is 16.7 ms at 1080p 60Hz on each, so there's no gap. Each has 2D auto keystone at ±30° vertical and horizontal, and each light source is rated for 20,000 hours.
Where They Differ
Throw and image size
Image width is the throw distance divided by the throw ratio. From 10 ft back, the AH30ST's 0.69–0.83:1 zoom lens gives an image 12.0 ft to 14.5 ft wide. The LK830ST's fixed 0.496:1 lens gives 20.2 ft wide from the same spot.
Flip it around for a 10 ft wide image. The AH30ST sits anywhere from 6.9 ft to 8.3 ft from the screen. The LK830ST sits 5.0 ft from it.
Neither one needs a deep room. The real difference is slack. With the AH30ST, the zoom lets you hit the same 10 ft width from a range of mounting points. With the LK830ST's fixed lens, the mounting distance sets the image size, full stop. If you put the bracket in the wrong spot, there's no zoom to correct it.
Before you pick, measure from where the lens would hang to the screen surface. BenQ lists no lens shift for the AH30ST and doesn't publish a lens-shift spec for the LK830ST.
Screen shapes
BenQ states 16:9, 16:10, 4:3 and 1:1 modes for the AH30ST. The LK830ST's list has those same four plus 5:4. 5:4 isn't among the AH30ST's stated modes. That's different from saying it can't do it. BenQ just doesn't list it.
Resolution and brightness
The AH30ST is 1920x1080. The LK830ST lists 3840x2160, and BenQ doesn't say how it produces that 4K.
Brightness is listed at 3,000 lumens for the AH30ST and 4,000 for the LK830ST. BenQ doesn't name the measurement standard for either figure, so I'm quoting them as listed. I haven't seen either one running, and I won't tell you how either looks in a lit garage.
Light source, size, warranty
The AH30ST uses an LED light source and the LK830ST uses a laser. Both are rated for 20,000 hours in normal mode.
The AH30ST weighs 5.84 lbs and measures 11.95 x 4.23 x 8.69 in. The LK830ST weighs 7.93 lbs and measures 10.99 x 4.74 x 9.03 in. That makes the AH30ST 2.09 lbs lighter.
The AH30ST's warranty is "3 years parts and labor from purchase date (original retail purchaser), US." BenQ publishes no warranty term for the LK830ST.
Who Should Buy Which
Get the BenQ AH30ST if…
- You want mounting slack. A 10 ft wide image works anywhere from 6.9 ft to 8.3 ft back, thanks to the 1.2x zoom.
- A published warranty matters to you. It carries 3 years parts and labor from BenQ.
- $1,000 less at list matters more than a 4K resolution listing.
- Weight matters for the mount. At 5.84 lbs, it's the lighter of the two.
- Your screen is 4:3 or square. BenQ states both modes for it.
Get the BenQ LK830ST if…
- The lens position is close to the screen. It gives 10 ft wide from 5.0 ft back, or 20.2 ft wide from 10 ft.
- You want a 3840x2160 resolution listing over 1920x1080.
- You want a laser light source.
- You need a 5:4 mode. BenQ states it for this one and not for the AH30ST.
The Bottom Line
The two match on golf mode, input lag, keystone, rated light life, and the 4:3 and 1:1 modes. That leaves the AH30ST's zoom lens, published warranty and $1,499 list price against the LK830ST's tighter throw, 4K listing and $2,499 MSRP. Call it a hunch, but the zoom is the feature I'd miss most on a fixed lens. It's what forgives a bracket drilled a few inches off. The LK830ST makes sense when the lens has to live close to the screen. Otherwise, the cheaper projector covers the sim-fit questions that matter.