The Quick Verdict
Get the BenQ TK710STi 4K HDR Laser Short Throw Projector. It lists at $2,199, which is $500 under the Optoma at list. It also has a 1.2 optical zoom that gives you room to move the mount, a stated 3-year warranty, and a rated 20,000-hour laser. The Optoma ZK431ST-B makes sense at its $2,699 MSRP in one case: when the projector has to hang close to the screen. Its 0.496:1 fixed lens puts a wider image up from the same mounting spot than the BenQ can at any zoom setting. Check price at The Indoor Golf Shop →
What They Have in Common
These two have a lot in common. Each uses a laser light source, lists a 3840x2160 resolution and has a 16:9 native shape. Each maker lists 4:3 among its stated modes. Input lag is 16.7 ms at 1080p 60Hz on both, so there's no gap there. Neither BenQ nor Optoma says whether its projector has a golf mode.
Where They Differ
Throw and image size
Image width = throw distance divided by throw ratio. That's the whole game for a sim bay.
From 10 ft back, the BenQ throws an image 12.0 ft to 14.5 ft wide, depending on where you set the zoom across its 0.69–0.83:1 range. From the same 10 ft, the Optoma's 0.496:1 lens throws an image 20.2 ft wide.
Flip it around and look at a 10 ft wide image. The BenQ needs to sit 6.9 ft to 8.3 ft from the screen to make one. The Optoma needs to sit 5.0 ft from the screen.
That range is the real-world difference. With the BenQ, you get a band of mounting positions that all give you a 10 ft wide image. With the Optoma, there's one distance per image size, so the mount has to land in the right spot. Before you buy either, measure the distance from where the lens would sit to the screen.
Screen shapes and brightness
Each maker lists 4:3 as a stated mode, and Optoma adds 16:10. A square 1:1 screen isn't among the stated modes for either one.
BenQ lists 3,200 lumens and doesn't state the standard it measured to. Optoma lists 4,100 lumens to ISO 21118. Those two figures don't measure the same thing, so I won't call either one brighter.
Lens, warranty and the rest
The BenQ has a 1.2 optical zoom. BenQ lists lens shift as "N/A (vertical and horizontal)", and its keystone is 3D: ±30 degrees vertical, horizontal and rotation.
The Optoma has a fixed lens with no lens shift and a listed offset of 114%. Its keystone covers ±15° horizontal and vertical.
On warranty, BenQ states 3 years. Optoma doesn't publish a warranty term for this model, and it doesn't publish a rated light-source life either. BenQ rates its laser at 20,000 hours.
The Optoma weighs 6.3 lbs, which is 0.5 lbs lighter, and measures 10.8 W x 4.3 H x 8.5 D. The BenQ weighs 6.8 lbs and measures 12.0 x 4.4 x 10.0. BenQ lists a 2024 release year, and Optoma lists 2026.
Who Should Buy Which
Get the BenQ TK710STi 4K HDR Laser Short Throw Projector if:
- You want a range of mounting distances instead of one fixed spot. The zoom covers 6.9 ft to 8.3 ft for a 10 ft wide image.
- A stated 3-year warranty and a published 20,000-hour laser rating matter to you.
- Your mount position may need adjusting around a joist or a light. The ±30-degree 3D keystone gives more correction than the Optoma's ±15°.
- The $500 gap at list matters.
Get the Optoma ZK431ST-B if:
- The projector has to hang close to the screen. It makes a 10 ft wide image from 5.0 ft back.
- You want the widest image from a given mounting spot. From 10 ft it throws 20.2 ft wide.
- You use 16:10 content. That's among Optoma's stated modes and not BenQ's.
- You can live without a published warranty term or light-source rating.
The Bottom Line
On the numbers that are actually published, the BenQ covers more of what a bay build needs. You get a zoom range instead of a single fixed distance, a 3-year warranty, a rated laser life, and a list price $500 lower. Input lag is identical, both list 4:3, and the brightness figures can't be compared directly. If I had to bet, most bays will benefit more from the mounting flexibility than from the extra width. The Optoma is the pick only when the mount has to sit very close.