The Quick Verdict
Get the BenQ LK830ST 4K Short Throw Laser Projector. BenQ lists a 1:1 mode and a named golf picture mode on it, and its 0.496 throw ratio puts the widest image on the screen from the shortest distance of these two. The BenQ TK710STi 4K HDR Laser Short Throw Projector lists at $300 less, has a published 3-year warranty, and has a zoom lens. That makes it worth a look if your screen is 4:3 and you want some flexibility in where the mount goes.
What They Have in Common
These are both BenQs with 3840x2160 resolution and a 16:9 native shape. Both use a laser light source rated at 20,000 hours, and both have the same 16.7 ms input lag at 1080p 60Hz. Both are short throw by the numbers, both list a 4:3 mode, and both offer ±30 degrees of vertical and horizontal keystone. BenQ doesn't say how either one produces its 4K.
Where They Differ
Throw and image size
Image width = throw distance divided by throw ratio. From 10 ft back, the LK830ST's fixed 0.496 lens throws an image 20.2 ft wide. The TK710STi's 0.69–0.83 zoom lens gives 12.0 ft to 14.5 ft wide from the same 10 ft.
Flip it around for a 10 ft wide image. The LK830ST sits 5.0 ft from the screen. The TK710STi sits anywhere from 6.9 ft to 8.3 ft.
A 0.496 ratio lets the projector hang a lot closer to the screen. The trade is that the LK830ST's lens is fixed (1x zoom), so the distance you mount it at sets the image size, and that's that. The TK710STi's 1.2x zoom is your slack: for that same 10 ft width, the mount can land anywhere in the 6.9 ft to 8.3 ft range. Before you pick, measure from where the lens would sit to the screen.
Screen shapes
BenQ lists five modes for the LK830ST: 4:3, 16:9, 16:10, 1:1 and 5:4. For the TK710STi it lists two, 16:9 and 4:3. On a 4:3 impact screen, BenQ states a mode for both.
On a square screen, 1:1 is a stated mode on the LK830ST and isn't among the TK710STi's stated modes. That isn't BenQ saying the TK710STi can't do it. It just isn't on the list.
Brightness and golf mode
The LK830ST is rated at 4,000 lumens and the TK710STi at 3,200. BenQ doesn't state a measurement standard for either. Since they're the same brand's own figures, though, the 800-lumen gap on paper goes to the LK830ST. I haven't run either one, so I can't tell you what either does in any particular room.
BenQ names a golf picture mode on the LK830ST. For the TK710STi, BenQ doesn't say either way. That's not the same as it lacking one.
The rest
Keystone differs a little:
- LK830ST: 2D with auto, ±30 degrees vertical and horizontal.
- TK710STi: 3D, which adds ±30 degrees of rotation.
On lens shift, BenQ lists the TK710STi as "N/A (vertical and horizontal)" and doesn't publish a lens-shift figure for the LK830ST.
The TK710STi is 1.13 lbs lighter, at 6.8 lbs against 7.93 lbs. Dimensions are 12.0 x 4.4 x 10.0 in for the TK710STi and 10.99 x 4.74 x 9.03 in for the LK830ST.
The TK710STi carries a 3-year warranty. BenQ publishes no warranty term for the LK830ST. The LK830ST is a 2025 release and the TK710STi is from 2024.
Who Should Buy Which
Get the LK830ST if...
- Your impact screen is square, and you want 1:1 listed as a stated mode.
- You want a named golf picture mode on the spec sheet rather than a question mark.
- The projector has to sit close to the screen: 5.0 ft back for a 10 ft wide image.
- You'd rather have the higher of the two quoted lumen figures, 4,000 against 3,200.
- You're fine with a fixed lens and can set your mount distance precisely.
Get the TK710STi if...
- Your screen is 4:3, a mode BenQ states for both.
- You want mounting flexibility: the 1.2x zoom covers 6.9 ft to 8.3 ft for a 10 ft wide image.
- A published 3-year warranty matters to you.
- You want the rotation adjustment in the 3D keystone.
- $2,199 at list fits better than $2,499.
The Bottom Line
The LK830ST lists at $2,499 and the TK710STi at $2,199, so there's a $300 gap at list. Input lag is identical, both are lasers rated at 20,000 hours, and both show 3840x2160.
What separates them for a hitting bay is the throw, the stated 1:1 mode, and the named golf mode. All three point the same way. If I had to bet, those matter more on a sim build than the zoom slack and the published warranty on the TK710STi. The exception is a 4:3 screen with an awkward mount spot, where the TK710STi earns its place.